2-727-906 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Elongated Mask Ornament, c. 900-300 BC. Small masks made of precious media-especially greenstone, which Mesoamerican people valued above most other materials-likely served as elements of Olmec elite regalia. Such masks commonly depict human faces, although it is unclear whether the creature shown on this unusual example is human or supernatural. It may be a late work.