Chinese Mao Zedong Circular Lapel Pin

Ribbed red dome, small head, and a faint outline of a gate below.

This Mao Zedong circular lapel pin is from China, and dates to the 20th century. It is metal. Propaganda posters of the era generally pictured a utopian society, with smiling farmers, brave soldiers and happy people gathered around Mao, who was cast as a benevolent father and wise teacher. The red surface bulges softly, with a ring of sculpted ribs close to the rim. Inside it, a small gold head in profile faces left above a faint outline of a building with a flat roof. A couple of scuffs mark the rim. It is 1.5 inches in diameter.

A great deal of restraint, nicely domed.