Ca. 1940's-1950's IMPRESSIVE LARGE MASTER-CARVED MESOAMERICAN QUETZALCOATL MASK

Description

Ca. 1940's-1950's IMPRESSIVE LARGE MASTER-CARVED MESOAMERICAN QUETZALCOATL MASK.
Counted among the most important of Aztec gods (and Mesoamerican divine entities),
Quetzalcoatl, regarded as the son of the primordial god
Ometecuhtli
, was venerated as
the creator of mankind and earth.
Quite incredibly, the ‘human’ nature of Quetzalcoatl influenced the later Toltec rulers,
so much so that they might have even venerated and equated Quetzalcoatl to a king.
The question can be raised – why was the deity particularly associated with a mythological
feathered serpent. (See the beautifully carved feathering of the four snakes on this mask).
Well, according to some scholars, the snake in its most basic form in Mesoamerican
culture might have represented the earth and the vegetation.
Quetzalcoatl was often
venerated as the god of light, rain, justice, mercy, and wind (along with even knowledge,
books, and poetry).
Measures: 12 inches tall by 9 inches wide
Condition: About perfect,  minor scuffs, sparse signs of surface age.
Magnificent! Dark stained, perhaps cypress (not sure)--best rendition. Powerful!
Remarks: This is an outstanding work of art and came from an old estate which possibly
acquired it from a Guatemalan gallery in the mid-1900's.