Q: Hi again, hope you don’t mind to share your comment on this small 15 cm high mask that I bought at an auction last month in Amsterdam. Price was 250 euro. It was sold as a Iroquois false face mask from the fifties. I’m very pleased with this mask. Great carving and expression I think. Marc, 1640 A: I think this is an especially well made example. It’s a shame you don’t have more information. With Iroquois and most other Native American mask the question of authenticity can be very complicated. “The False Face Society is probably the best known of the medicinal societies among the Iroquois, especially for…
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Old Chinese bronze helmet mask
Q: This was a gift. I am curious about it’s value. (later) I finally got in touch with the collector who gifted me the mask. He lived in China for a few years over 30 years ago as an employee of the Cuban government. This is where he purchased the helmet. I did a little more research and found an antique dealer on Etsy who recently sold an almost identical helmet to Kentuckyana Jones in July of this year. Shelly, 1639 A: Both masks are about 10.5 inches in height. The ornament on top is 3 inches. The circumference at the nose is roughly 24 inches. As you can see,…
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Dan runner mask from West Africa
Q: Hi, this is Marc from the Netherlands. I recently bought this Dan runner mask at a local auction house for 200 eur. No provenance. Size 23x13x7cm. It has a small crack. Very nice shiny patina, looks quite authentic too me. But what does the expert say? Marc, 1638 A: Like most true experts, I know my limitations… especially when asked to authenticate an African mask over the internet. Some of the carvers who specialize in fine reproductions can fool museum curators! Braking all the rules, I will courageously declare this Dan runner mask to be authentic. Look at all three pictures and blow them up as much as you…
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Refurbished cowboy mask from Guatemala
Q: Good morning Bob! In your opinion, is it a Guatemalan mask? Is it old? Is it repainted as it seems? Could you tell me something about this mask? The only things I know are those read on your site. Thank you, Monica, 1637 A: Thanks for sharing another interesting mask with us. It was probably meant to be a vaquero (cowboy) when it was originally made in the late 20th century. Then, in the early 21st, the mustache, sideburns and eyebrows changed to black. The morerias (Guatemalan costume and mask rental shops) will often clean, repair and repaint masks when they need improvement. They may also change one or…
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Art mask
Q: This measures 10 1/2 x 6 x 3 1/2. I believe it is of plaster. It came from a mask collector. I paid $6. Thank you. Edward, 1636 A: This is a nice example of an art mask. It is signed “NR.” You should find out how to contact the artist. Ask the collector you bought it from. It might be worth much more. Ed hasn’t gotten back to us yet. Though we mostly help people who want to know more about a tribal mask they have acquired, MaskoftheWorld.com also accepts masks made for protection, protest, parties and various forms of art. This mask is made of papier mache…
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Bamana Ntomo mask from Mali
Q: I was given this mask as a gift from a friend with quite a bit of African masks. I’d like to know it’s value. I do not collect them but the giver does, and he has a large collection. Most were given to him from patients, mainly from Africa. I have more pictures if needed. Thank you. Michelle, 1635 A: Instead of featuring your mask, I put it in second place. The big photo is from a blog I posted more than two years ago. This mask certainly looks like an authentic Ntomo, but it could be a carefully made reproduction. If the latter, it will still be a…
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Large Baga Nimba shoulder mask
Q: I have a baga nimba mask (full size) and paperwork for it. It came from a prominent tribal collector in Boston. I am curious as to what you believe it would be valued around or if a market for this exists. Here are photos of the mask. Let me know your thoughts. Adam, 1634 A: The most important of the Baga art forms is the great mask, or Nimba. It represents the mother of fertility, protector of pregnant women, and presides over all agricultural ceremonies. The dancer, wearing a full raffia costume, carries the mask on his shoulders, looking out through holes between the breasts. In use, such masks…
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Bronze helmet mask from where?
Q: Thank you for your e-mail and thank you for your interest in the mask or is it more of a helmet? It is about 10.5 inches in height. The ornament on top is 3 inches. The circumference at the nose is roughly 24 inches. This was a gift from a very generous collector. I have no further information. I will attempt to contact him today for more details. Shelly, 1633 A: I searched for Cambodian, Burmese, Indian, Nepalese, Tibetan and other masks with no luck. Thus goes the work of The Mask Man– a guy who claims he knows about masks from all over the world. There certainly are…
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Early Kuba mask with provenance
Q: Hello from Belgium. Here is one of my favorites from my collection of masks of the world. It is 19th century and a part of the objects brought back from Congo during the 1st Belgian expedition organized by the CCI (Compagnie pour le Commerce et l’Industrie) to Katanga 1891-1893 and led by Alexandre Delcommune. This is the first Royal Kuba masks, Ngaady a Mwaash, known to be brought in Belgium in 1893 and probably the only known to date to have the nape covered with commercial fabric that was a royal exclusive Kuba privilege before the submission of the Kuba Kingdom in 1904. It comes from the estate of…
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Botarga mask from Spain
Different parts of Spain have their own unique ways of designing masks and costumes for celebration. I believe the botarga, a distinctive character associated with the traditional winter festivities in the region of Guadalajara, is the fifth blog I done on Spanish masks. They are all different. The botarga is a character connected to today’s religious celebrations. Its origins are thought to date from pre-Roman times and to be related with fertility rites. The mask’s typical accessories are the brightly colored costume, a truncheon, castanets and the cowbells tied around the waist. It is made of brightly painted walnut wood. The face resembles a devil, with an open mouth, pointed…
