The Turquoise Mosaics: head-dress
- Gallery: Room 27
- Culture: Aztec; Mixtec
- Made in: Mexico
- Date: 1400-1521
- Object type: head-dress, helmet, mosaic
- Materials: wood; malachite; turquoise; mother-of-pearl; oyster shell; hematite; pine resin; resin; copal
- Museum number: Am,+.6382
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
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About this object
This is "The Turquoise Mosaics," a striking Aztec head-dress crafted from cedro wood and adorned with intricate turquoise, malachite, and shell mosaics. Two projecting beak-like forms extend from the front and back of the piece, giving it a dramatic silhouette. The mosaics depict outward-facing serpents—possibly the Fire Serpent, Xiuhcoatl—with sharp teeth and colorful crests made of Spondylus shell and mother-of-pearl.
The interior of the head-dress is painted in Maya blue, a pigment known for its vivid hue and deep cultural significance. Pine and Bursera resins were used to fix the mosaic tesserae in place, though many have since been lost, leaving traces of red hematite paint visible in some areas.
Made in Mexico around 1400–1521, this rare artifact may have been worn by someone of high status, as suggested by the presence of feathery panaches. It was once part of a private collection before finding its way into museum care.
See it in person
The Turquoise Mosaics: head-dress is on display in Room 27 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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