This is an old man character used in a Buddhist cham ceremony. It comes from the Monpa area in Arunachal Pradesh, in northeast India. Obviously old and used many times by the monks, it is rare in style and something a museum would want to own. 11 inches high. Wikipedia has this to say. The cham dance is a lively masked and costumed dance associated with some sects of Tibetan Buddhism and Buddhist festivals. The dance is accompanied by music played by monks using traditional Tibetan musical instruments. The dances often offer moral instruction relating to compassion for sentient beings and are held to bring merit to all who perceive…
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Abelam yam mask from PNG
Q: Looking to ID this mask. The story is that it was brought back from somewhere in the Pacific Theater during or a little after WWII. It has a movable mouth (or lower jaw) and a tongue made up of some kind of rolled up material. Overall kind of beat up and moth eaten. Probably had some fur on it at some time and has a tail at the top. Kind of a rat shape to it. Overall length, not including the tail, is about 31″. Daryl, 1722 A: We are thinking this mask is from Papua New Guinea’s East Sepik Region. This is where the Abelam people live. A…
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Ancestor mask from Papua New Guinea
Q: I inherited this mask and want to know more. Not sure where it was purchased, seems to be made of wood and quite large with strange swirls carved into the eyes. Mattie, 1721 A: Great ancestor mask from a Sepik River village in eastern PNG. Often these masks are made to be hung on the walls of the men’s meeting house. Notice that has no eye holes. Technically it is more like a religious sculpture. This carving has the distinctive features of the region, although the tongue is unusual. You might want to check out another one which also has a tongue hanging out: https://dev.masksoftheworld.com/mask-from-sepik-river-png/ Unfortunately, I’m not certain…
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Unpainted Gu mask from Ivory Coast
We recently posted a fully painted one which you can see by going to– https://dev.masksoftheworld.com/gu-mask-from-west-africa/ Actually, this “unpainted” one has a little white paint. It is well made and beautiful. I don’t know if this dark brown one is authentic or a reproduction. If the latter, most of us could afford it. The photo was taken by Roman Bonnefoy. Here is some information on African masks for beginners… Ritual and ceremonial masks are an essential feature of the traditional culture and art of the peoples of Sub-Saharan and West African. While the specific implications associated to ritual masks widely vary in different cultures, some traits are common to most African…
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Protective mask I would like
Q: I was a bit bored by all the clinical face masks and have thus let me inspire by all this to produce my own face mask – out of wood, of course 🙂 it is maple wood, hard and elastic, but light-weight. As you can see, the patch of clinical mask attached on the inside is replaceable. Painted with acrylic paint. I guess this goes into the category of Protection. Chris, 1719 A: Clinical face masks are something I wear only because of the pandemic, and I don’t like them. This one would be fun!. Bob
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Mexican hummingbird mask
The first carved wood mask is 8″ high x 5.2″ wide x 12.8″ deep, and made in Carpinteros, Hidalgo, Eastern Mexico. The second one is photographed from three angles and is also made by the same Otomi people in that area. The first mask is new and the second one has been used. These go along with beautiful costumes and are very popular. I’m sorry but all the the scans are low resolution. Bob, 1718/>
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Expert repairs on a mask
Q: Further to the discussion about restoration some months ago, here is an example of a restoration I have had recently made on a mask. Just the scar of the break on the front side has been treated, all the other chips related to age and use have been left untouched. The break itself, glued many years ago, is still clearly visible on the backside. I wonder if they switched the eyes when they repaired the break because, strangely, the left eye shows a fissure not in relation with any fissure in the wood, although corresponding exactly to the break if transposed to the right side….but on the other hand…
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Another beautiful Mahakala
Q: I think this is a mask from India/Himalayas, possibly of the deity Mahakala. Wanted to know more! I inherited a collection, and am interested in this one from Asia. Mattie, 1715 A: You are right. I posted one almost exactly like yours back in 2018. It wasn’t quite as nicely painted and had been used. Please take a look at it. https://dev.masksoftheworld.com/nice-mahakala-mask-from-tibet/ These artistic papiermache masks are made by monks for ceremony… and income for the monastery from generous tourists. A-
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More on African masks
The Mask Man: The first photo was shot at a Dogon village ceremony, the second one is a recently made fake. Authentic African masks are found in museums and high-end galleries– not at local auctions and yard sales. I Googled “African tribal masks” and looked carefully at about 300 images. Only 16 were authentic! I wasn’t too surprised. The Mask Man has been looking at photos of mystery masks sent in to this website for almost 20 years. I answer all of the emails but only post about 10% nowadays. As I have said before, if you buy a mask in Africa or anywhere else, assume it was made for…
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Mexican tin mask for tourist
Q: I used to create various tribal masks, sometimes with metal and allied items. Please look at this sample for your reference. Sanjay, 1714 A: This tin mask is well made and represents a high-ranking Aztec. These masks have been made for visitors to Mexico for years. As you can see, they are hard to resist. Mexican maskmakers sell thousands every year, most of which are quite different from each other. I wonder if Sanjay can reproduce a metal Bolivian mask. They would be much more difficult. A beautiful example is shown in the second photograph. Masks of this kind were made for the Diablado (Dance of the Devils) that…
