Q:  I purchased this mask in an antique store in the UK for £85, it was labelled as an ‘ancient green man mask’– but I’m not sure if this is right. It is 34cm tall, 24cm at its widest and about 13cm deep. It seems like it is pretty old. I’m not sure if the red inserts in the eyes are original. It looks like the holes may have been filled in at some point.  Any help identifying this mask would be great!   Chris, 1256 A:  Every thing you say is true. It could even be truly old with an interesting back story. And it sure would make a nice…

  The Artemis Gallery auctions are having a sale which will follow a chronological timeline that begins with Ancient Egypt and progresses through Greek, Roman and other Old World cultures. Here is a Romano-Egyptian plaster mummy mask of a young man, circa 30 BCE to 2nd century CE. Its hauntingly lifelike facial features, curly beard and straight hair are skillfully painted, with a palette of harmonious tones adding a natural look to the skin. Pretty nice looking for something that’s over 2000 years old. http://www.artemisgallery.com/

We’re getting close to Halloween. It’s an important holiday in the USA– relying heavily on masquerade, and second only to Christmas in its popularity. My favorite Halloween mask is the Darth Vader helmet. You could call it a futuristic version of Samurai armor. Rather than talk about Star Wars or construction details, I will point out that this is also a great work of art. To use a term most of our viewers are familiar with, it could become an important ethnographic artifact.  Bob, 1222 Save Save Save

The Guy Fawkes mask is a stylised depiction of Guy Fawkes, the best-known member of the Gunpowder Plot. The plot was an attempt to blow up the House of Lords in London on 5 November 1605, in order to restore a Catholic head of state. The use of a mask on an effigy has long roots as part of Guy Fawkes Night celebrations. A stylised portrayal of a face with an oversized smile and red cheeks, a wide moustache upturned at both ends, and a thin vertical pointed beard, designed by illustrator David Lloyd, came to represent broader protest after it was used as a major plot element in V…

Q:  As you know, collectors occasionally run into deformity and disease masks. I’d like to hear more about them.  I’d especially be indebted if you started a blog thread on the topic.  Nate, 1190 A:  This first one is from the Ibibio people of Nigeria. It measures 7 3/4″ high. The small face with high raised forehead above tiny eyes, carved with no nose or upper lip and with teeth showing in the open face depicts either syphilitic yaws or a severe cleft palate. It comes from the Cobbs Auctioneers. The second one is a Mbangu from the Pende of the DRC. 12″ high. It represents a hunter who has…

It’s not a mask, but it looks like one. For years there have always been a few people who like to collect surprise art objects for their walls. I love this guy and will categorize him under “Misc.” Part of the fun is trying to guess what it really is. Here’s the story. In earlier times horses were employed to work in bogs and marshes where there was a danger of the horse sinking and getting stuck. Bog shoes of cut wood were strapped onto the horse’s hooves to allow the horse to stay above the bog. Think of how a snow shoe works. The bog shoe is big and…

Q:  I have this thank you note I keep forgetting to send to you for the wonderful inclusion of my work in your awesome book. Not only that but this book is a major source for me as reference and inspiration. Anyways I also thought I would keep you up to date with new work I’ve made. This one  is a gold leafed Mache of Anne Frank.  Patrick, 1084 A:  Patrick Risse does many other types of contemporary art masks in addition to famous portraits. They are always one of a kind and very well made, but you don’t see them often on this website. I call them art masks.…

Although James Ensor (1860-1949) is most well known for his paintings which have influenced both expressionism and surrealism, many of these paintings contain images of masks. Heidi Leitzke, Lancaster’s Public Arts Manager, recently told me this. You can find some beautiful papier mache masks that were made by him. These two are from Google Images. It’s possible that these were modeled after items in the curiosity shop Ensor’s family ran, right beneath his studio. I would also suggest that you read “Chapter 8–Modern America” of Masks of the World by Robert Ibold. Though 74 different masks are pictured and discussed in this chapter, there is one that seems similar to…

A collection of the world’s oldest masks, dating back to the dawn of civilization, have gone on display at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. The 9,000-year-old stone masks are thought to have been made to resemble the spirits of dead ancestors. They have round holes for eyes, tiny noses and prominent displays of teeth. Experts say they were made in the hills and deserts near Jerusalem and offer a rare glimpse of some of civilization’s first communal rituals. They are thought to have made at a critical turning point that saw the birth of agriculture and the abandonment of the hunter-gatherer lifestyle. James Snyder, director of the Israel Museum, said…