I don’t think any of our viewers could afford an ancient mask like this, but I hope some of you enjoy seeing it as much as I did. Made between 100BC and 250AD by the Alamito tribe of north-western Argentina was recently in the news. It’s smooth, grey-quartz face has a sloping rudder of a nose and five holes: two for the eyes, one for a mouth puckered in confusion, and two at the sides to allow the masks to be tied around the head. It was priced at $135,174. This wasn’t a record. Two years ago a Baule Goli mask fetched $1.4m at Christies (it once belonged to Picasso).
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Korean masks
In the Republic of Korea, you can watch a traditional masked dance called Cheoyongmu, which features a cast of characters who each wear a different type of mask. The masks come with black cloth attached to the sides of the mask designed to cover the back of the head and also to simulate black hair. They are used for dances, and are sold to collectors and tourists. There are two ways to categorize masks: religious masks and artistic masks. Religious masks were often used to ward off evil spirits and the artistic masks are mostly used in dances and theater shows. Masks which are use for dance in Korea come…
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Kali masks from India
Here is what the Second Face Museum has to say about the first Kali mask… The Gambhira Dance is an agricultural religious dance originating in Bangladesh and West Bengal, India by devotees of Shakti, also known as Durga, a female god created by the combined energies of all other gods to destroy the tyranny of demons called asuras. Ghambira dance is performed to music of the same name. The two main characters are a grandfather and grandson, with the former narrating a story involving social and political issues during the dancing and singing. Masqueraders representing gods, animals, and important characters act out the elements of the story. This mask represents…
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Beaded elephant mask
Elephant masks from the Bamileke people of the Cameroon Grassfields are one of the most flamboyant to be seen anywhere in West Africa. The circular disks are the elephant’s ears and the double panel hanging down represents the trunk. They are large and very decorative. Today they are still are worn by Bamileke men’s societies for special celebrations, and some are sold to art exporters. Never cheap because of all the work that goes into them, you can find affordable ones on the Internet.
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Another repro from Africa
Q: I recently picked up this for my friend who collects masks from an estate sale in Southern California. Unfortunately the owner was not present but someone told me they thought it resembled a mask they bought from an Ivory Coast tribe. They were originally asking $300 but I got it from a friend who was working the sale on the last day for $125. It appears to be made of a composite type wood because it has little fibers present here and there. It measure 22″ x 8″. Eric, 1347 A: This came the day after the Lega mask on the right. It is a classic Baule ancestor mask…
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Reproduction of Lega mask
Q: I have been trying to identify this mask for a while now. It was a thrift shop purchased , and all I know is that it looks like it was from Africa. The mask measures 14″ high x 8″ wide. It looks like it was exposed to water at one time. Steven, 1346 A: This carving looks like many Lega masks that could be found in the large area of the eastern DRC which is home to this ethnic group. It probably was made there for visiting tourists or the worldwide collector market. Or it could have been made somewhere else. It would fit into any collection…
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Bargain for classic African mask
Here is a well designed and colored Guru mask. It is a little different than others, but at the same time, very much in the classic tradition. Guru mask makers like to express themselves artistically. But it is not authentic and made for commercial purposes only, which lowers the price greatly. Go to the vendor’s page where you’ll see the sale price, plus more photos and information. Guru mask from the Ivory Coast have long been favorites of collectors, especially in the USA.
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Dan Deangle masks are very popular
Modern Dogon masks from Mali
Maybe old and used
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Info on 2334 masks
Left of me on the header of our home page is this cute little goat mask from Guerrero. In the Chivo Dance there are two lines of dancing goats. They wear masks with horns, a headdress, or both. The masks are very colorful, like toys for children. Mexican masks are usually meant to be entertaining. This mask will now be number 1334 in the site’s archives, which are listed as “categories” on the right of each mask page. In our book, Masks of the World, by Ibold and Yohn, there are photos and descriptions of 990 masks. So when you use our book and the website, you have access to…
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Bozo masks are usually real
If you go to this Pinterest site you’ll see over a 100 different Bozo masks from Mali and Burkina Fasso that have been worn in culture. You can still find these colorful artifacts selling for a few hundred dollars. An authentic mask from a more famous tribe in West Africa will cost many thousands. Those brown, old looking masks you see all over the place almost always are fake reproductions. Wikipedia says: The Bozo are a West African ethnic group located predominantly along the Niger River in Mali. The name Bozo is thought to derive from Bambara bo-so “straw house”; the people accept it as referring to the whole of…
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Romanian traditional mask
This Romanian ritualistic mask from Moldova always has an unique appearance of a big beard and long red nose. They’re used over a wide area, from the Banat to Moldavia and from Oltenia to Maramures. The dances are considered the most picturesque events and tourists love them. They are a meaningful component of the folk customs celebrated in villages for the coming of the New Year, funerals, agricultural and hunting rituals.These dances originate from the pre-Christian times when the never ending struggle between good and evil had an impact on everyone. After Dan got his excellent German mask for so little money, I took a look at some other European…
