Q: This mask is a Guatemalan dance mask depicting the character of Pedro Alvarez. Material: brown wood with layers of paint and blue glass eyes that are fixed from the back with a hardened wax. Size: 8.9” x 6.1” (22,5 x 15,5 cm). On the front side I count 3 different layers of paint over a grounding of cream white gesso. On the back side are carved the initials AP and I have read that this is a maker’s mark (but cannot find the passage with AP again). Hanno, 1592 A: AP is the mark of Pedro Antonio Tistoj Mazariegos who had a moreria in Tetonicapan. You can see his…
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Another Mexican decorative mask
Q: Trying to find out the value of some masks that were given to me years ago. Gary, 1591 A: One of my goals for this website is to convince mask collectors around the world that Mexican decoratives deserve respect. They are often made by the same carvers who supply the village dancers with their “authentic” masks. The “decoratives” are made for selling to tourists and galleries. More than money-makers, these exciting masks are a creative outlet for the village artisans. Unlike the authentic dance masks that must always resemble a character’s traditional appearance, the decorative can look like anything imaginable. The ones I collect are always a surprise to…
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Inuit mystery mask
Q: This came out of a private collection in Illinois. It’s very lite weight measuring 8.5” X 4.5” not including the feathers. Polychrome cedar ceremonial shaman’s mask from the Inuit. I’m a collector. Would you know the age of this and what type of mask is it? It appears to have been used several times in a ceremony of sort. PJ, 1590 A: I do not recognize this at all. Since I am not an expert on any of the Arctic cultures, let’s hope that one of our viewers will make a helpful comment. PJ, since you and the seller both specialize in these kinds of artifacts, perhaps you could…
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Unusual Balinese monkey mask
Q: Here’s an interesting Balinese mask I picked up recently. I don’t know which character it represents since there are several simian characters in Balinese topeng, but I thought the pompadour was unusual, and it’s very well-carved. The ears are separate pieces lashed on with twine. Dan, 1589 A: I agree. It is well designed, carefully made, and not something you see very often. Sorry, I can’t tell which simian characters it represents. The Mask Man isn’t an expert on everything! I’ll bet you only paid a modest price for it. I want our readers to realize that high quality reproductions are available, and they look just as good on…
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Guatemalan small mask, rare and old
Q: This mask is rather mysterious to me, although I think it is still from Guatemala. Material: a heavy, dark brown wood with few rests of paint. The size is very small like for a child: 5.5” x 5.5” (14 x 14 cm). It shows a Spaniard with curly hairs, a thin long nose and beard. The style is severe, the painting very faded and reduced to stains, but I see traces of different layers of white (gesso?), red, blue and yellow. Small parts of the wood are chipped off like the tips of the beard, one with black wax on it, the lower lip and around the eyes. There…
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Pretty Raksha devil from Sri Lanka
Q: I want you to see my last purchase which, unbelievable but true, also pleases my husband. It is a mask from Sri Lanka and looks rather old judging from the wood (not old due to the paint). I bought it at an online auction. Could you please tell me more about it? Monica, 1588 A: I’m pleased to hear that your husband liked this Raksha mask. (My wife was rarely pleased with my purchases.) It is especially handsome because the composition and coloration is so professional. Perhaps this carver is an art school graduate. However, it won’t impress any serious collector of Sri Lankan masks. That’s because it is…
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Another mask I need help with
Q: I got this at an antique shop a few days back. At first I thought he was just an old souvenir tchotchke because there aren’t any holes in the side to keep this mask on someone’s head, instead there are four punctures in the back that look like they are for mounting. There is a dark, smooth looking stain in the wood just above the nostrils in back. The stain appears right where a person’s breath would hit if they actually wore this mask. Maybe someone wore it for something? Conceivably those four parallel punctures could have been for a head strap… Also, the mask was repaired at one…
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Old decorative mask from Guerrero
Q: Recently I acquired this mask from a friend. He himself had bought it, along with four others, in the early 90s from an old Guatemalan lady who had been living in Europe for a long time. After a little research I think this mask is from Guerrero, Mexico. Material: a light wood with colorful paint. Size: 10.2” x 7.1” (26 x 18 cm). It shows a half-naked girl standing on the mask’s face. In the lower part both figures “melt” together: her skirt becomes also a nose and moustache of the mask, her ankles and feet the mask’s funny teeth. The girl upholds in her hands a blue hammer…
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Bembe mask used for politics
A protester opposed to the Burundian President’s third term wears a traditional mask near a burning barricade in Bujumbura, Burundi, recently. It is right on the border with the PRC. The area is heavily populated with the Bembe people. This comes from an article in The Atlantic called The Masks We Wear, by Alan Taylor, May 26, 2015. It contains 30 excellent photos of authentic masks. “We wear masks for many reasons: for fun, for protection, or to make a statement. In turbulent public settings, obscuring one’s face can protect an individual from retaliation while evoking fear and uncertainty in others. Donning the mask of a cultural, political, or religious…
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Huge Korean lion mask
Q: I have a pair of large masks that I purchased from an antiques dealer several years ago. He collected a lot of strange/interesting things and I really liked these masks a lot. Both are almost identical with very subtle differences. They seem to be made of a paper mâché mix with possibly a fiberglass tape…not sure. The sizes are 22 inches wide by 24 inches high. I purchased a massive lot from him so there wasn’t an individual price. Both of them have two metal handles placed on each side (obviously to hold), and also a painted swing bar in a half moon shape that swings up and rests…
