Mississippian Weeping Eye Shell Mask Gorget, Tennessee

This Mississippian shell mask gorget, dating to approximately AD 1400–1600, originates from the Tennessee River Valley—one of the most significant centers of Late Mississippian cultural expression. Measuring 4.5 inches in height and presented on a museum-style custom metal mount, the gorget is carved from marine shell, most likely lightning whelk (Busycon perversum pulleyi), a highly valued trade material transported inland from the Gulf Coast.

The mask features a stylized human face with deeply incised linear features and fully perforated circular eyes. These elements form the distinctive “weeping eye” motif, a powerful symbol within the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex (SECC), associated with shamanic vision, solar deities, and ancestral spirits. Such iconography was central to the ritual and political life of Mississippian chiefdoms and has been found in high-status burials across sites, including Etowah, Spiro, and particularly in Tennessee’s Hixon and Dallas mound groups.

Gorgets of this kind were likely worn by elite individuals or spiritual specialists, suspended on the body or incorporated into headdress assemblages. The artistic conventions—facial symmetry, tapering chin, and bold engraving—are consistent with the best examples of Mississippian ceremonial ornamentation and point to a complex cosmology expressed through material culture.

The piece remains in excellent condition, retaining visible calcification and weathering consistent with long-term burial. There are no signs of modern restoration. The backside has a small amount of adhesive from the previous mounting method. This example comes from the private collection of John F. Casey (1944–2023) of Riverdale, New York, by descent to his niece.