Q: I have been traveling for 12 years and collected a few masks on the way. Only recently I have looked into my boxes with my stored collection and found this nondescript mask, which I can’t for the sake of it remember where I bought. Maybe you can help me? Bo, 673
A: This is an unpainted decorative wood carving from Bali done in a combination of styles. I’ve seen masks from Africa, Nepal and Japan that look a bit like it. Bali is a very small island state of Indonesia where one of the major industries is wood carving. There are hundreds of highly trained people working at this trade. Though a few of their masks are used in the traditional dance dramas, most are sold to tourists and collectors, as was this one. C
