Q: I am cleaning out my father’s home/estate and he had several masks (mostly Mexican). I believe a few are antique and at least one may be pretty valuable. I have attached pictures below and can follow-up with more pictures if you would like to see them. I am mostly curious about this one that I think is over 100 years old. Laura, 1325 A: What a coincidence. The same character comes in a day later. Laura’s Alvarado is a tourist mask that has been artificially aged, where as, yesterday’s is authentic.The biggest difference would be the quick carving and black paint on the rear of today’s. Neither of these…
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Popular mask of Pedro Alvarado
This is a favorite character in one of the most important dances performed in the hills of Guatemala. Heavily influenced by Western classical sculpture, the carvers, who are ethnic Mayans, make sculptures as if they were trained in the finest art schools of Europe. Unfortunately the quality of Guatemalan carving has gone down in recent years. If you go to the Guatemalan section of “Categories” you can see other examples of this kind of carving, both recent and older. I would give this mask an A- .Read more about Avarado, the famous Spanish general.
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3 steampunk masks
I my book, Masks of the World, there is a chapter called Steampunk & Sex. (We’ll look at sex masks some other time.) When Steampunkers don there strange masks and accoutrements they enter their own retro-futuristic steam powered world. The masks are wonderful to look at, as you can see. A lot of work goes into them so they are not cheap. Have you ever seen one?
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Woven yam mask from PNG
I recently posted a wooden yam mask in bright yellow. Here is a much different, woven-basket yam mask from the Abelam people, Maprik district, Sepik region, Papua New Guinea. It looks large– about 18 inches. Basket yam masks are also an essential part of the elaborate yam harvest ceremonies and festivals for the Abelam people. Rituals associated with yams form the basis of the spiritual life for them. Both the woven and the wood examples are important for collectors to have.
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Wari burial mask from Peru
This type of reddish burial mask was made about 700 AD. It would be from the Wari people. Masks from a mummy of this preColumbian culture in Peru are sometimes found in tombs around Lima’s Huaca Pucllana. The weather is very dry there and these old wooden masks hold up well. Their red color can be much brighter. The eyes are dark, flat stones on white shells. Like ancient Egypt, burial masks were used in upper-class funerals before the Spanish took over in South America and Mexico. Death masks are used by Christians as well.
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Masks of the Himalayas
Masks from the middle highlands of Nepal, usually crude in design and dark with age, have always appealed to educated collectors. Though the masks look rough (almost ugly), they have an artistic power that can’t be denied. This picture, which I found on the internet, is typical. The only unusual thing is the metal foil stuck to the mask’s forehead. Think about the mix of Hinduism and Buddhism, and how these very poor people must make their own masks.
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Tschaggatta mask from Swiss Alps
Q: I have had this mask in our family for a long time and recently started to do research on it as the misses no longer can stare at it on the wall. It seems to be a Swiss Made, LOTSCHENTALER HEIMARBEIT. That is what’s printed on the back. Seems to match up with some late 19th century masks that were/are worn at a festival in a Swiss Valley. Any idea as to what era and type of mask this is for sure? Is there any collectible market? Do they have estimated or average values? Sean, 1319 A: Called a Tschäggätta, this carved wooden mask of a frightening figure in…
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Indian cloth mask from Ecuador
Q: What is this? Chris, 1318 A: It’s a cloth sack with another face on the back so the dancer can never be surprised by the Devil in the Inti Rymi ceremony. Not your typical mask. They’re used by the Quechua people who live in the Northern Andes of Ecuador. These are not as common as carved wood masks, but they are used even today. You can see one of these on page 161 of Masks of the World by Ibold and Yohn. Extras are sold to tourists… and for a reasonable price. A-
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Yellow yam mask from PNG
Here we have a yam mask from the Abelam people of Maprik, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea. It is mid 20th century, but the wood carving and colorful natural pigments are still in good condition. It is 11.5 inches high. Yams are the most important crop in PNG. This design is a carved replica of a bird of paradise and it is very common for the yam ceremonies. There are woven yam masks that are much different. I found this yellow beauty at the Morgan Oakes Gallery.
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4 Jamaican Jonkonnu dancers
John Canoe or Jonkonnu (pigeon English) has a very long tradition as a folk festival, incorporating both African and European forms. The Jonkonnu Festival is secular in nature and its performance at Christmas time is merely historical. From as early as the beginning of the 18th century masked and costumed performers have paraded the streets of Jamaica most often at Christmas time, but also at state functions, receiving money and food in return for their performances.These photos look very African to me.
