Chinese Mao Zedong Lapel Pin

Peaked cap, firm gaze, and a red flag doing most of the heavy lifting behind him.

This Mao Zedong lapel pin is from China, and dates to the 20th century. It is metal. After Mao's death in 1976, the Communist Party began a process of de-Mao-ization, and much memorabilia was destroyed, statues were taken down, and many badges were collected and melted into functional objects. A bust in a soft military cap rises in relief from a red flag shape on a cream plaque with curved sides. A pale blue strip below holds a tiny pavilion roof and a ribbon of red. It is 2.5 inches wide and 2.75 high.

Small flag, large ambitions, tidy color work.