Death mask of Pakal the Great, Palenque

Q: We are working with an auction house that is very serious and they are in contact with the Mexicans about the history. They have also arranged for age dating thru Oxford Authentication and results will be in a month. Questions asked: When was it found & by whom? What has been studied so far? Can we get new measurements from it? Background and all the history they can tell about this Stucco masterpiece. What we are sure of is that the mask is Pakal as the only thing we can be really sure of. You are free to publish what you want about the King and we will keep You posted when we have found more. Robin, 1675

A: Here are three different version of Pakal the Great in terra cotta or stucco that are supposed to be over 1300 years old. The much different one found in the early 1950s at the newly-discovered pyramid in the jungles of Palenque, Chiapas was made of small pieces of green jade. It is now in the Mexican Museum of Anthropology. Learn more about this authentic mask at https://dev.masksoftheworld.com/death-mask-of-pakal-the-great/ Pakal was perhaps the greatest Mayan emperor and Palenque one of their most important historic sites.

I suspect that the three ceramic death mask shown here might be made for the tourist trade. It is good that you are doing additional research and also having your mask dated by a reputable lab.