Chinese Mao Zedong Lapel Pin

Frontal face in a cap, small and calm on a plain red disc.

This Mao Zedong lapel pin is from China, and dates to the 20th century. 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. Low and central on a plain, glossy red disc sits a face in a soft peaked cap with a buttoned collar. The relief is golden and softly rounded. There is no border or ornament. It is 1.75 inches in diameter.

Spare and direct, with not a single ray in sight.