Object Name: Jade mask
Cultural Group: Olmec peoples
Place of Origin: Veracruz, Mexico
Date: Pre-classic, 1000-500 B.C.E.
Materials Used: Serpentine, pigment
Dimensions: H: 15.2 cm, W: 11.3 cm, D: 4.8 cm (H: 5.9 in, W: 4.4 in, D: 1.9 in)
Credit line and Accession Number: Gift of Mr. Dennis Carlson and Mr. J. Clinton Shaver. X80.1144

Arts identified as Olmec have been found in present-day Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua, and they range in size from portable carvings to monumental sculptures. Many artists chose to carve figures, masks, and other smaller objects in a variety of hard greenish stone, including jadeite and serpentine, which were valued for their strength, color, and translucence.

Source: Gallery wall text, Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives, 2006