Louvre Abu Dhabi on Friday announced the arrival of five unique artefacts on loan from Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).
It is part of a historic cultural exchange announced by Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi and Chairman of Louvre Abu Dhabi, and Maria Teresa Mercado, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mexico.
This is the first time that these valuable pieces have been transferred to the region, and they include a ritual mask from Calakmul, a recent archaeological discovery dating back to the Mayan civilisation.
The five artifacts will remain on display at the museum until at least April 2025.
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Since its establishment in Abu Dhabi in 2017 as the first world-class museum in the Arab world, the Louvre has become a beacon of global human creativity, telling stories of cultural connections across time.
This mission is supported by the museum’s influential international partnerships and constructive relationships with many international institutions through the signing of reciprocal loan agreements that facilitate the display of artifacts and artworks from various historical periods from around the world.
About the 5 artifacts
The five Mexican artifacts on loan to the museum include a colossal head weighing 5,840 kg, carved from a massive block of basalt, Olmec civilisation (1200-500 BC) Mexico, Veracruz State, San Lorenzo-Teotihuacan (1200-900 BC) from the National Museum of Anthropology in Xalapa; University of Veracruz.
The colossal heads represent Olmec rulers who may have held political and religious positions in their time.
Another item is a “theatrical” type incense burner, Teotihuacan civilization (100 BC-800 AD); Mexico, Teotihuacan (0-650 AD), Teotihuacan Archaeological Site, from the National Institute of Anthropology and History.
Incense burners began to be manufactured between 1 and 100 AD, and incense was made from charcoal and copal, which were abundant in Central America.
The third of the five pieces, a stone mask in the shape of a human face (100 BC – 800 AD), Mexico, Teotihuacan (200 – 900 AD), Teotihuacan Archaeological Site, from the National Institute of Anthropology and History, embodies the features of a traditional human face, and its carving style is associated with the agricultural and fertile city of Teotihuacan in central Mexico. The fourth, a ritual mask from the Mayan civilization (600 BC – 1521 AD), Mexico, Campeche, Calakmul Archaeological Site (200 – 600 AD), from the National Institute of Anthropology and History in Campeche, is a recent archaeological discovery and is being displayed to the public for the first time; Royal burial rituals saw the appearance of such elaborate masks, as well as other objects such as incense burners and vessels.
The fifth is a carved column from Chichen Itza, Chichen-Itza, Maya (600 BC – 1521 AD), Mexico, Yucatán, Chichen-Itza (900 – 1200 AD), National Museum of World Cultures, National Institute of Anthropology and History, belonging to the category of Atlantean statues, which are anthropomorphic sculptures; their arms are raised above their heads, and they carry an altar, a bench, or the threshold of a building that is likely a place of worship.