• Home
  • Discover & Learn
  • Ask Us About Your Mask
  • About
  • Contact
Masks of the World

  • Home
  • Blog Home
  • Discover & Learn
  • Ask Us About Your Mask
  • Masks
  • Blog About
  • Home
  • Blog Home
  • Discover & Learn
  • Ask Us About Your Mask
  • Masks
  • Blog About
  • East Asia

    A charming old carving

    October 20, 2014 / 3 Comments

    Q:  Thank you for this great service. Here is a mask I purchased from Mauna Kea Galleries. I know very little about the mask. It is made of a hard wood and said to collected 1845 and looks to be made from a oak barrel. It looks to have been nailed at one point. The wood looks a little to fresh to be from 1845 to me. Please help with this mystery item. It measures 11 3/4 by 5 1/2 inches.  Ryan, 691 A:  This is a very intriguing piece.

    Read More
    Bob Ibold

    You May Also Like

    Asian mask for decor or memories

    September 14, 2015

    Korean traditional character mask

    November 10, 2018

    Old Noh theater mask

    January 3, 2018
  • East Asia

    Unusual yam mask

    October 18, 2014 / No Comments

    Q:  Got this in the family 80 years ago. It is 14” wide and 15″ high with a double face that seems to go on the head.  Alex, 690 A: This is an unusual form of woven yam mask from the the Asmat culture of Papua New Guinea.

    Read More
    Bob Ibold

    You May Also Like

    A Perfect Stranger

    November 16, 2014

    Old monkey mask from SW China

    July 20, 2014

    Tribal masks of Vietnam

    October 25, 2020
  • Mexico

    Show stopper from Guerrero

    October 6, 2014 / No Comments

    Q:  Just got this mask and have searched 1000’s of pages on the net and cant even find where it may be from please help!  Anne, 689 A:  Tourist masks (also called decoratives) have been made in Guerrero, Mexico, for more than a 100 years. They’re always antiqued to look old and used. By the 1960’s their designs were getting more elaborate and experimental. I have never seen one like yours and may not ever again. They still appeal to certain types of art collectors. Perhaps you would like to go this route, but be careful not to pay too much money for them. They don’t hold their value well.

    Read More
    Bob Ibold

    You May Also Like

    Death mask of Pakal the Great

    March 18, 2019

    PreColumbian death mask of Pakal the Great

    August 20, 2020

    Maranquilla mask for Carnaval

    March 9, 2018
  • Caribbean

    I call this Caribbean

    October 1, 2014 / No Comments

    Q:  33 inches, painted paper mache believe to be from South America. Got it from a friend as a gift. Had a horn off the top of the head but is missing. The outer horn looks like it was to fit inside another horn that is still inside the mask. Mask is large enough to fit over your head. Can you give approx. value and let us know if this is something we should hold onto?  George, 688 A: From Panama, the people who make these big papier mache Diablico Sucio masks are obviously influenced by the Caribbean, and this is true of other parts of Central America as well

    Read More
    Bob Ibold

    You May Also Like

    Puerto Rican art mask

    April 13, 2018

    Devil mask from northern Venezuela

    June 26, 2018

    Elaborate Dominican masks

    September 11, 2016
  • Mexico

    High-end Mexican mask

    September 29, 2014 / No Comments

    Q: I have a lot of very good Mexican Dance masks that I bought from a collector in Mexico City when I lived there a few years ago but I don’t have one of these http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=301332462024. Could it possibly be worth this kind of money?  Christophe, 687 A:  This is indeed a very desirable mask. It is called a Parachico and is made in Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas, Mexico.

    Read More
    Bob Ibold

    You May Also Like

    Old Bull Mask from Mexico

    April 28, 2016

    Decorative fish mask from Mexico

    October 20, 2018

    Black-faced mask from Mexico

    July 21, 2015
  • Mexico

    A different kind of devil

    September 25, 2014 / 3 Comments

    Q:  Nathan D. suggested that I contact you regarding the pair of masks that I bought from a well known financier’s estate. He purchased them from a gallery in NYC in the late 70’s. I was told by his son that they are “Mexican Death Masks”, but everyone that I have shown them to, has no idea what they are and has never seen anything like them. I am an African art collector but was so fascinated by them that I had to have them. They are constructed of hand painted thick, leather, genuine goat horns and goat hair, I believe. The insides of the masks are woven. The black…

    Read More
    Bob Ibold

    You May Also Like

    Very old mask? Maybe.

    March 3, 2015

    Charming old Mexican mask

    March 3, 2017

    6 Mexican Devil masks

    November 18, 2018
  • Africa

    A favorite type of African mask

    September 25, 2014 / No Comments

    Q:  This mask looks like ebony wood.  It is 20″ x 9″ wide.  It was a gift from a friend who traveled extensively.  I have had it since the 1990’s.  Cheryl, 685 A:  We see thousands of masks of this basic design and, frankly, in never get tired of looking at them. Here is a little more information.

    Read More
    Bob Ibold

    You May Also Like

    Baule mask from West Africa

    September 22, 2018

    Mask from Nigeria, not the Congo

    July 12, 2014

    Bedu mask from Ivory Coast

    April 13, 2019
  • Africa

    Is it as old as it looks?

    September 18, 2014 / 2 Comments

    Q:  Please check out this mask. The seller says it is old (I know they always say this). If you want I can send you few more close-ups. Your opinion is very appreciated. Reminds Luba but these horns.. And also the stitches, were they made on purpose so the mask looks old? Or are they real? The mask has 2 holes at sides and 3 holes for the beard. This is Kigali, Rwanda. Thank you.  Sayn, 684 A:  It’s a horned Kayamba mask from the Lega people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

    Read More
    Bob Ibold

    You May Also Like

    Masks of the World book for $9.97

    July 4, 2016

    Mask from Burkina Faso

    March 27, 2018

    Yellow Zaouli mask from Africa

    August 1, 2020
  • Bali & Java

    Is this Balinese mask old?

    September 12, 2014 / No Comments

    Q:  Hi, my mother recently acquired this mask when a relative passed away, and I was really curious as to what the mask was depicting and how it may have been used. She thinks it is from Bali, but I have no idea. Thank you for your time!  Zack, 683 A:  Your mother is right. It is a beat up Rangda mask that might actually be an antique.

    Read More
    Bob Ibold

    You May Also Like

    Good old or bad old?

    December 18, 2014

    Cululuk, a witch from Bali

    July 27, 2018

    Another unusual Balinese mask

    February 21, 2018
  • Mexico

    Cheap Mexican decorative

    September 9, 2014 / 1 Comment

    Q:  Can you tell me something about this triple head (man and some type of animals) mask.  Made of wood.  I don’t know anything about it but need to sell it and want to say the truth about the mask.  Thanks,  Tina, 682 A:  About 40 years ago I bought my first mask. It was an inexpensive but very colorful piece that was made by the same group of carvers in Guerrero, Mexico, that made yours.

    Read More
    Bob Ibold

    You May Also Like

    La Puta mask from Naolinco, Veracruz

    July 14, 2017

    Mexican decorative

    August 30, 2015

    Yaqui pascola mask, Sonora, Mexico

    October 22, 2019
117118119120121


Quiz - Test Your Mask Knowledge

Click Here Take The Quiz

Mystery Mask Value Code

A - high value*

B - collectible*

C - decorative art

D - low value

* A and B do not always imply higher dollar value. Most masks get a C or D, however I usually don't post them.

Archives

Masks of the World - 2025 ©