The Jade Masks of The Mayas
dal 25/1/2012 al 9/6/2012
Segnalato da
25/1/2012
The Jade Masks of The Mayas
Pinacotheque de Paris, Paris
Elaborate funerary masks made of jade mosaics, some with inlays of other semiprecious stones, were created for the governors of important Mayan cities to insure them eternal life. Fifteen have been discovered, most of them included in this show of more than 100 Mayan objects never before shown outside of Mexico.
The Pinacothèque continues its exploration of Pre-Columbian and Meso-American cultures. Following the success of the exhibition The Incas’s Gold : Origins and Mysteries, the Pinacothèque de Paris is showing the most important archeological discovery of the past decade in Mexico : masks made of jade mosaic. These outstanding masks, entirely restored by the most eminent specialists in Mayan archeology, represent the deities’ faces. Created for the governors of the most prestigious lost Mayan cities, they had the mission to ensure eternal life to these dignitaries after their death.
So far, about fifteen masks have been found, most of which are on display at the Pinacothèque de Paris. This extremely rare ensemble, which Mexico has exceptionally agreed to show outside its frontiers, shall be exhibited alongside about one hundred works which are leaving Mexico for the very first time. Thus, the Pinacothèque is offering an immersion into the sophisticated and mysterious cosmogony of that millennial culture.
The jade masks on display were found in the burial chambers of the Mayan elites. Part of the funeral masks represent the individualized features of the Mayan leaders. This is the case of the extraordinary mask of King Pakal on which the sovereign’s features are set forever. The meaning of the artefacts is facilitated by a rich contextual setting : the masks are shown alongside the rest of the funeral trousseau and comprise necklaces, earrings, pectorals, bracelets, ceramics as well other offerings. It is the first time, since their exhumation and their dispersal throughout various museums, that these works are brought together. Seven tombs of Mayan leaders have thus been reconstituted.
Quite a number of the masks on display also represent divinities from the Mayan pantheon which, like their mythical Inca ancestors, combined human, vegetal and animal features. Worn by the Mayan elite during ritual ceremonies, the masks allowed them to assume the deity’s features and thus accomplish his role as a mediator between the earthly and the heavenly spheres.
Pinacotheque de Paris
28, place de la Madeleine - Paris
Hours: Daily From 10:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Admission: Full fee 10 € (per exhibition as well as for the Collections)
Reduce fee* 8 € (on presentation of a document)