mask (dance & live theatre)

Painted wooden mask, of the type used in the 'Dance of the Seven Sins'. It was bought in 1979, and purchased from an old tailors shop behind the National Palace in Mexico City. The object was fabricated for the art market. The mask is made up of a carved wooden impression of a face. A snake comes out of the mouth, and is held in the beak of an eagle that is attached to the chin of the face. The sides of the are decorated with snakes. Each cheek of the face is decorated with a lizard. The top of the face is decorated with a similar image as to the chin. An eagle holds a snake in its beak and is decorated with snakes on each side. The whole of the mask is decoratively painted with a variety of colours. The face has blue eyes and red lips.

object
MUSEUM NUMBER
2003.1067
COLLECTION
MEASUREMENTS
overall: 560 mm x 210 mm x 145 mm
MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE
wood; paint
CATEGORY
Anthropology: Ethnography
SHAREABLE LINK

Continue exploring anthropology

Collection Information

These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.

The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.

If you have any further information about objects in our collections, can suggest corrections to our information or if you see content requiring immediate action, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk