Life and Death

Cinnabar paint has been applied over the gold of this mask. Since ancient times we have associated red pigments with blood, integral to both life and mortality. Many cultures have incorporated red pigments into burials, sprinkling it through a grave or painting the deceased’s body with it. The Aztecs (circa 1300–1521) often imparted soul-force to a new artwork by bathing it in red pigment, ritually simulating the blood of childbirth.