Labret
- Culture
- Mixtec
- Date
- c.1250–1450
- Material
- Obsidian
- made in
- Mexico, North and Central America
- Classification
- Jewelry & personal accessories, stone & mineral
- Collection
- Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 237
- Dimensions
- 7/8 x 1 5/8 x 13/16 in. (2.2 x 4.1 x 2.1 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Morton D. May
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 138:1980
NOTES
This labret, or lip plug, is carved from a single piece of obsidian, a type of volcanic glass. An important resource across Mesoamerican cultures, this material was used to make luxury items such as jewelry, but also tools like knives and weapons. The labret was probably worn by a high-ranking member of the Mixtec people, who were indigenous to present-day southwestern Mexico. Personal ornaments like these were also fashioned in gold, jadeite, and wood.
Provenance
by 1976 - 1980
Morton D. May (1914–1983), St. Louis, MO, USA [1]
1980 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Morton D. May [2]
Notes:
[1] This object arrived to the Museum in 1976 on long-term loan from Morton D. May [SLAM document files].
[2] A letter from Morton D. May to John Peters MacCarthy dated April 3, 1980 records this donation [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Acquisitions and Loans Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, June 6, 1980.
Morton D. May (1914–1983), St. Louis, MO, USA [1]
1980 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Morton D. May [2]
Notes:
[1] This object arrived to the Museum in 1976 on long-term loan from Morton D. May [SLAM document files].
[2] A letter from Morton D. May to John Peters MacCarthy dated April 3, 1980 records this donation [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Acquisitions and Loans Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, June 6, 1980.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.
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