• 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
  • Mexico

    Good reading

    August 15, 2014 / No Comments

      MexicanDanceMasks.com will take you to a new blog by Bryan Stevens, a well-respected collector and author. Bryan collects masks from all over Mexico, but his wonderful book, Mexican Masks and Puppets, concentrates on folk art from the Sierra de Puebla mountains that run through the states of Puebla and Vera Cruz in Eastern Mexico. I think some of you will really enjoy this new blog because it is so different from the one you are reading now. MasksoftheWorld.com is about all of the cultures of the world and Bryan’s new blog focuses on just Mexico. Therefore, Mexicandancemasks.com digs much deeper into the art and culture of a people. If…

    Read More
    Bob Ibold

    You May Also Like

    Death mask of Pakal the Great

    March 18, 2019

    Wish I knew more about this Mexican

    August 10, 2013

    Pre-Columbian Indian mask

    July 21, 2020
  • Guatemala

    Children will like this

    August 14, 2014 / No Comments

    Q:  Hello,  I have attached a mask of what I believe to be a deer but not sure. Perhaps you could tell me a little about it.  Dustin, 669 A:  It is a deer. In Guatemala the people of Mayan decent have several masked dances that feature deers.

    Read More
    Bob Ibold

    You May Also Like

    Guatemalan immigrates to Brazil

    March 6, 2014

    Rare Guatemalan mask

    August 23, 2020

    Bird mask with big bill

    December 14, 2015
  • South America

    A very toothy grin

    August 7, 2014 / 1 Comment

    Q:  Appreciate your opinion. Would this mask be Tlingit?  Jack, 668 A:  No.

    Read More
    Bob Ibold

    You May Also Like

    Precolonial funeral mask

    January 15, 2018

    Rich masquerade in the Andes

    November 3, 2013

    Art from the Amazon jungles

    September 15, 2013
  • Unknown

    Here is a real mystery

    August 4, 2014 / 1 Comment

    Q:  I’ve picked up two masks recently. One is really unusual. It looks carved but almost like another skin substance has been placed over the face. It has corn type hair and big teeth. Pretty weird stuff.  Eileen, 667 A:  Far out!

    Read More
    Bob Ibold

    You May Also Like

    Stunning art, but not a mask

    September 11, 2013

    Where is this mask from?

    October 22, 2013

    Mystery mask

    August 18, 2019
  • India & Himalayas

    Deformity masks heal the sick

    August 2, 2014 / No Comments

    Q:  I found this at a thrift shop in Boca Raton. So it is likely completely out of context. They didn’t want much for it, so I bought it, but I can’t really figure out where it is from? It is very small, more of a decorative carving at 6″ X 4″.  Rick, A:  You found an exorcism mask from Sri Lanka.

    Read More
    Bob Ibold

    You May Also Like

    Colorful Mahakala from the Himalayas

    June 30, 2016

    Citipati mask from Arunachal Pradesh, India

    January 11, 2020

    Fake shaman’s mask from Nepal

    February 28, 2019
  • India & Himalayas

    Unusual carved wood bird

    July 30, 2014 / 4 Comments

    Q:  Thanks again for doing that quick assessment for us here. I’m not sure what will happen with the masks, but your information is extremely helpful in deciding. I have another question if you wouldn’t mind. I now have one more mask. Is there anything you can tell me about this piece? I don’t intend to sell it. I just really liked it and am curious if I can learn anything about it.  Lynn, 665 I’m not sure about this one.

    Read More
    Bob Ibold

    You May Also Like

    Fake Nepal Ganesh mask

    April 17, 2019

    Nice mask from Sri Lanka

    July 10, 2017

    India has important traditions of masquerade

    May 9, 2015
  • India & Himalayas

    A Magic Dragon from the Himalayans

    July 30, 2014 / No Comments

    Q:  Here is the Bhutan dragon mask I bought a couple of years ago. It is about a foot long. The black strap you see in the photo I added and the mask sits more on top of your head then in front of it. I have seen this of other photos of Bhutanese mask wearers. Also you see through the mouth of the mask because is sits on your fore head and just in front of your eyes. It is an Asian style dragon that has the branched horns and thin white whiskers, but what is cool is the typical mustache that many Bhutanese men wear.  Ray, 664 A: …

    Read More
    Bob Ibold

    You May Also Like

    Tribal mask from Nepal Middle Hills

    September 7, 2017

    Old Kolam mask from Sri Lanka

    December 6, 2015

    Rare Himalayan leather masks

    October 10, 2013
  • Europe

    Believe it or not

    July 21, 2014 / 3 Comments

    Q:  I just got back from the U.K., and there was an amazing medieval executioner’s mask in the Tower of London, but it was black on a black background with glass in front and very low light, so I wasn’t able to get a good photo (tripod would have been impossible because of the massive crowds of people). But someone got a relatively good shot of it and posted it, so here it is.  Aaron, 663 A:  The world of masquerade can be a wild and crazy place.

    Read More
    Bob Ibold

    You May Also Like

    Strange masks from Basque country

    May 15, 2019

    Rare chimpanzee mask from the Tyrol

    July 21, 2018

    Tschäggättä mask from the Swiss Alps

    February 8, 2019
  • East Asia

    Old monkey mask from SW China

    July 20, 2014 / No Comments

    Every so often I plan to repeat one of my favorite masks posted years back. This one is a Nuo monkey mask from Jinguan village, Anshun district, Guizhou provincial territory. It’s an 8.3 inch thin carving with a sturdy native repair. The old Nuo mask was obviously used for a great many years and the wear has resulted in a wonderful patina. The monkey’s face is portrayed with deftly carved lines and each eye is highlighted with a  metal tack. In my opinion– Chinese folk art at its best. Masks like this are becoming hard to find.

    Read More
    Bob Ibold

    You May Also Like

    Chinese opera mask

    May 29, 2019

    Emit mask from Thailand

    July 2, 2014

    Why such a distorted Japanese mask?

    September 17, 2018
  • Mexico

    Where did the snakes come from?

    July 17, 2014 / No Comments

    Q:  I just found this mask at an estate sale.  I have no information about it and cannot find anything similar online. I’m speculating that it is old and authentic. Any information would be immensely helpful in appraising it.   Lori, 661 A:  It is common for people to speculate that a carved wood mask may have considerable monetary value.

    Read More
    Bob Ibold

    You May Also Like

    A different kind of devil

    September 25, 2014

    Mexican mask with interesting history

    August 5, 2018

    Mexican decorative

    August 30, 2015
119120121122123


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 ©