 Q: I was hoping you could tell me about this mask. I was told that it was a Guatemalan dance mask. I find that hard to believe as I’ve never seen a Guatemalan mask that looks anything like this. My first impression was that it looked like a Northwest Indian mask. I would appreciate any info you might have on this…Thanks very much. Ray, 1091
A: It’s got a modern West African vibe, but it could come from other places. Because it appears to be carved very thin and has a grab bar on the rear, somewhere in the Southwest Pacific is a possibility. Please, you people out there, give us a little help with this crazy guy! (If Ray wins it at auction he promises to send us better photos.) |
Unidentified Eskimo mask
Airport art at its best
2 Comments
Aaron
Definitely not Guatemalan. I’d bet pretty much anything that it comes from somewhere in Indonesia based on the bottom eye-slits, bite bar, cap strip at the top of the head, and blackened back.
Marc DUBOIS
I agree with Aaron; it is probably a Borneo island -Kalimantan area- mask; however, it doesn’t mean that this item is authentic…the Bali artists are specialists in copying masks… even from the NWC of Canada !