Q: I found these two masks together in a bazaar and first thought they were the classic theatre faces happy/sad. I bought the pair for $7….soon realized they are not the theatre masks, but have no clue where they could be from. There are hole for the eyes, but no side strings to allow for wearing. The wood is light and looks like it was darkened with maybe black shoe polish on the backs as well. Do you have any idea where these masks could come from? Paule, 595 A: I’ve never seen masks like these.
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Our enemy, the powder post beetle
Q: These are photos of the mask I made of my dog Cadie. Don’t know if you can see the holes on the front. Back of mask, holes a bit more visible. Once I noticed the holes I left the mask in the freezer for 2 weeks then sprayed it with a clear, flat polymer. Mark, 594 A: I’ve posted one of my own Mexican masks where you can see the work of beetles more clearly in a small photo.
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African traditional art influenced the modernists
Q: I came across another mask and write to inquire about its potential value. It is 24 inches in diameter. Attached are a couple of pictures. Let me know if its worth pursuing or not. In the meantime, stay warm and keep in touch. Charlie, 593 A: I think it is worth pursuing.
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The Mask Man is stumped again.
Q: I’ve attached some pictures of a mask that I purchased that I can’t identify. It has aspects of African influences as well as Polynesian. I’m most curious about the style of the mouth. It is made from a very light weight wood and looks to have been carved in a manner that it may have been actually danced and not made entirely for the tourist trade. Brian, 592 A: The character on this has mask has both a turtle and a coiled snake on his head.
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Be careful of this guy
Q: I found this online with no information about were its from and or if its just art or an actual old mask. I hope you can help me out. I’m intrigued by this mask. Best regards. Laurence, 591 A: This looks like a Yoruba style mask from Nigeria, West Africa, but because it is just a black and white, small, low-res photo, it would be unwise to assume more.
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Lawyers trying to stop another Hopi mask auction. Again.
Q: PARIS (AP) – The Native American Hopi tribe took a Paris auction house to court Tuesday to try to block the upcoming sale of 32 sacred tribal masks, arguing they are “bitterly opposed” to the use as merchandise of sacred objects that represent their ancestral spirits. The Katsinam masks are scheduled for sale at the Drouot auction house on Dec. 9 and 11, alongside an altar from the Zuni tribe. A. In the spring of this year a larger collection of Hopi Indian masks was auctioned off in Paris for over a million dollars.
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A not so typical Dan mask
Q: Bought in Liberia in 1982 when I was a Peace Corps Volunteer. Was among several that I bought from one of three Mandingos who came to my house in the Gola tribe area (just north of Monrovia and the Vai tribe territory) to show their masks to a few of us PCVs. The sale of this one mask was suspicious, because the seller did not want his colleagues to know that he had it. Could have been a ruse, but he looked genuinely fearful of his colleagues. I don’t think that he was supposed to be selling it. Dimensions: 11.5″ x 7.5″ X 3.75″ Now that I’m in my…
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Marka mask from Mali
Q: I have a collection of African old tribal masks which I took over from an old collector who for health reasons is unable to give much info. Here is one of many, I was thinking African, Mali possibly. Natasha, 588 A: Sorry to take so long to answer.
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One of the great masks of the world
Q: (Part of an email that included several recently purchased masks.) The Baining mask is gigantic, about 5 feet tall from chin to top and maybe 3.5 feet long. I have nowhere to put it, so it’s piled on my other masks. I need a museum at this point. Aaron, 587 A: Congratulations on your recent acquisitions.
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This will be a tough one
Q: American Indian or Eskimo? The wood is old and light like cedar. Please help! David, 586 A: I took a look at as many North American indigenous mask as I could.
