Q: Carved out of one piece, this mask was bought at a flea fair for £20. Steve, 1217 A: About two weeks ago I posted a shaman’s mask from Nepal. It has the same custom’s seal on its back that the previous one had. The Middle Highlands area of Nepal has several ethnic groups including the Rai, Gurung, Magar and Tharu. These people live in remote rural areas and are quite poor. Often their masks are crudely carved and have a dark patina.This mask is an example of that. Unfortunately, I can’t be sure of its authenticity. Save Save
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Mexican or Guatemalan clay mask?
Q: I bought this mask 30 years ago while traveling in Mexico. It might be from around Oaxaca. I find the figure in the forehead to be very intriguing. Can you tell me anything about it. It’s either clay or a very hard plaster. Beverly, 1216 A: I have seen these painted ceramics before and assumed yours was from Guatemala because of the features. The first Guatemalan mask in my book, Masks of the World, on page 140, is similar to yours. But I’ve also seen Mexican masks made of terracotta. Several very experienced collectors I know consider them decoratives made strictly for the tourist trade. Clay is a terrible…
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Ask Us About Your Mask
Do you have a mask you’d like to learn more about? Or maybe you have a seriously cool mask you want to show us? This free service includes a brief description and sometimes an opinion of your mask. It is not an appraisal… however, we might put a bold-faced letter grade that suggests value at the end of the description.
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Clown mask from Veracruz
Q: I posted 3 more of the masks I acquired in Veracruz over the summer. I thought you might enjoy seeing them. I’ll be posting more, and more from Jalisco (and a few from Estado de Mexico) as well in the next couple of weeks. Aaron, 1215 A: Here is Aaron’s thorough description. TITLE: Payaso Mask GENERAL REGION: Latin America COUNTRY: Mexico SUBREGION: Veracruz ETHNICITY: Nahua DESCRIPTION: Payaso (Clown) Mask MAKER: Unknown CEREMONY: Santo Entierro de Cristo; Fiesta de la Asunción; Carnival AGE: 2013 MAIN MATERIAL: wood OTHER MATERIALS: oil-based paint Santo Entierro de Cristo (“Sacred Burial of Christ”) is an important festival in parts of Veracruz, particularly in the region of Teocelo, and is celebrated on…
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Large Japanese wall-hanging
Q: This mask is 17″ tall. I think it’s cypress wood with a gofun finish. Thanks for any info. Gigi, 1214 A: One of my rules is that we post masks that could or have been used in culture, plus good quality reproductions of same. We try to avoid items made for other purposes. I broke the rule because this sculpture is so beautiful and so Japanese. It looks like a male version of Ofuku, but it does not depict a specific character from Kyogen or Noh. Gigi: don’t hesitate to share with our viewers the who, what, when, where and how much you paid for these pieces. Inquiring minds…
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Lele mask from the Congo
Q: These are a couple of the mask I own. I know they are from the Congo, and collected from a time when it was Zaire. One on the right used to have grass as a headpiece but it could not make the customs. Ann, 1213 A: I picked the one that I thought would interest collectors the most. It is from the Lele people in the West Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The more familiar Luluwa and Kuba tribes live nearby. I do not know the name or function of this particular mask. Hopefully one of our viewers might have more info to add.
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Guro Zamble mask
Q: I found this mask in an antique store for about $30 USD. I’m mostly interested in knowing about it as an example of a mask that might have been used in a dance or performance. I mostly collect masks that have been used in theatrical performances from any part of the world, but my budget is very small. John, 1212 A: The Zamble is a common Guro mask that is distinctive in design and very popular in Ivory Coast, West Africa. It is a mythical male character that combines the features of a leopard and an antelope. It is usually performed with a Gu masks, which represents its wife.…
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Tribal mask from Nepal Middle Hills
A few days ago I posted a very nice Buddhist demon mask from Nepal. Here is one from a tribal group that resides in the Middle Hills region of rural Nepal and is much different. It would be used for shamanistic purposes and is carved in a primitive way. Paint is rarely used, and because it is stored hanging from the ceiling of a smoke-filled hut, has turned a greasy, dark brown. Even though it is very crude, masks like this have a strong appeal. There are several books on masks from the Middle Hills. Part of the charm of this mask is the way it has aged. Please enlarge…
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Labor Day surprise
For those of you from countries where baseball is not played, this is a catcher’s mask. It protects the player’s face from a missed, fast-moving hardball. It is a true mask– not a tourist’s souvenir. I love protective masks for their beauty. As Louis Sullivan said, form follows function. Please check out the category called “Protection” to see others. They are all excellent designs. There are many others from different occupations and sports. Most of them can look great on the wall or a stand. You might want to consider getting a beautiful book called Masks by Nunley & McCarty. It contains ethnographic masks from all over the world, plus…
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Himalayan demon mask
Q: What are you thoughts? Remind us what the red-wax seal means? It cleared Tibetan customs, right? But beyond that, do we know when they started and stopped using this type of seal? Was this seal essentially put onto everything? (i.e. a real antique and a tourist piece would both be given one of these?) Nate, 1209 A: Let me start with the red wax seal. The Nepalese customs department began taxing folk art items being sold to tourists and exporters in the middle 20th century. Masks got a seal on the rear. Then, around the beginning of the 21st, they stopped wasting time and money on this practice. I…
