This unique basalt mask is sculpted in a
bold,
geometric manner and its dramatic
presentation
captures our eyes in an instant.
Sculpted in the
scale to fit a person's face, the mask
has
openings for the eyes, nostrils, and
mouth. It
wears an incised, flat headdress on top
of which
a small jaguar figure is carved. Two
small holes
by the temple bring two strings, which
are linked
to the nostrils, and the tongue hangs
out from
the open mouth. Such sculptural signs
most
likely symbolize important ideas that
Ancient
Costa Ricans cherished. One crucial
aspect of
Mesoamerican sculpture is the image of
jaguar.
In Costa Rica, jaguars were considered
as a
powerful god and their images were often
used
to represent royalty, priests, and
warriors. This
marvelous mask carved with the image of
a
jaguar, then, most likely is a
sculptural rendition
of a significant individual. Moreover,
the tongue
outside the mouth was symbolic of a
person
taking a journey into the underworld of
the
deceased. This marvelous mask, then,
possibly
had an important function in funerary
rituals or
ceremonies. Other unusual features such
as the
openings under the nose and the
connective
strings stir our curiosity--the features
and
decorative elements of Ancient Meso-
American
art carried meanings. Sculpted in a
bold,
geometric manner, the mask is full of
symbolic
features that embody cultural history
and
practice. It brings a part of Ancient
culture to the
modern day and we undoubtedly appreciate
its
beauty that would last throughout the
ages to
come.
- (PF.3265)
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