Though this website deals mostly with ethnographic masks from cultures all over the world, we occasionally see masks used for protection and other purposes. A few people, like yours truly, enjoy collecting them as well. In our new book, Masks from Around the World, chapter 13 is called “Protection & Protest” and the next one is “Steampunk & Sex.” This mask is on page 173 with the following description. 958 Balaclava The 3-holed black balaclava was designed as full cold-weather protection for the head. During the Crimean War in 1854 handmade balaclavas were sent over to the British troops to help protect them from the winter weather. Today they are…
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A great storage unit story
Q: The storage unit I got these masks from was appraised at $30,000-50,000. I did not buy the unit for that amount They did except my offer. The unit contained more than masks. Also Art, Paintings, Books, Jewelry, Ect. Apparently the man that had the collection passed away, was a Librarian for 40 years. Never married, traveled the world. went to some tribes personally, and liked the signatures too. Kathleen, 910 A: Kathleen sent pics of a number of masks found in the treasure trove. All of them are quite interesting. Lucky her! This could be one of several male characters in the famous Topeng dance drama of Bali. Wonderful…
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Khon mask for Thai dancers
Q: I bought this mask 5 or 6 years ago in Vermont in a small shop owned by an elderly gentlemen. He told me he brought it back with him shortly after WW11 in which he served. Mask reminded me of the dancers in the King and I movie. I paid $20 for it. I would like to know if it is a Khon dance mask from Siam and its approximate age. Mickey, 909 A: It is from Siam, or what is now called Thailand in SE Asia. This is a classic Khon dance mask made out of strong papier mache and carefully detailed with paint and spangles. Often they…
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Another great Mexican decorative
Q: I do love old stuff. When we bought our historic house 10 years ago we bought it with items in house still. I have found a few interesting items also. Here are a couple pics of a mask we found. its about 35 inches x 25 and is carved out of one piece of bottom of a tree. It looks like maybe rubber tree wood painted in Indian colors. Well anything you can tell me is great John, 908 A: Mexican decoratives, also called tourist masks, are avoided by most collectors. None the less, I often find them interesting and even beautiful, which is certainly true of yours. This…
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Unusual Fang mask from Ivory Coast
Q: I got strongly interested in African tribal art two years ago when I came to Brussels. Recently I bought a Fang mask. The shape is not the common shape of Fang Ngil masks. This one in the photo is 56cmX24cm and weighs 2,4kg. Is it a true Fang mask? What kind of variety? On your value code where would it stand? Ricardo, 907 A: Though not common, I believe it is a true Fang mask. ln the side view you can see clearly the elegant way the concave facial area has been sculpted out of the face. The Fang do this so well. I should also point out…
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Decorative masks can be fun
Q: Hey, I bought this mask off of EBay. The seller took over her sister’s estate. Apparently the sister had majored in anthropology and was a collector of African and Pacific Northwest Indian fetishes. The lady selling the mask did not know anything about it. I’ve looked for similar masks, but haven’t come across any. I was curious if you could shed some light on the origin of this mask. Austin, 906 A: You’d have a hard time finding another one of these. At first glance it is a Kple Kple mask from the Baule people of Ivory Coast, West Africa. It’s even antiqued to make it look old and…
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Masks as fine art
Janina Anderson is the artist who created these wonderful masks. They are more like sculpture, rather than something meant to be worn for ceremony or protection. Here is what she says about her masks. I wanted to make the work as personal and relatable as possible for viewers. There is something about fiber art that is just so great about making those connections with an audience. I think that because of our daily experience with cloth and its connection to the body, we have a really intimate knowledge of textiles. This is a huge tool for me, and I believe it makes my ideas a lot more accessible so that…
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NWC Indian mask
Q: I just picked up a bunch of native Canadian masks which is an area I know nothing about, but I instantly fell in love with them. I have identified each of them the best I could by using your book. I have uploaded my favorite one. All have been signed by a wolf cane and dated from 1971-74. Dan, 904 A: We usually refer to masks from the Indian tribes that populate coastal Washington, British Columbia, and lower Alaska as Northwest Coast, or NWC. I think this one was made by a hobbyist, or for tourists and collectors. It would be helpful to find out who the carver was. …
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Rare Mexican performance mask
Q: Check out this mask. It is one of the 9 lords of the night characters from a dance which is about the weirdest, dark stuff in Suchitlan tradition. Pablo, 903 A: I might have guessed this was a tourist mask made to look like a zombie or vampire. But since the photo comes from Pablo Medina, who has a great knowledge of Suchitlan folk art, we know it is an authentic piece. Suchitlan is a small town in the small state of Colima in west-central Mexico. The famous mask maker, Herminio Candalario, is also from there. We recently posted one of his masks. See number 898 titled “One of…
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Mah Meri mask from Malaysia
Q: I thought you might enjoy seeing these. The first two are Mah Meri masks from Malaysia, which I won at an auction for a very low price. I also have a third, that I intend to sell. I’ve been wanting one of these for a while, but I saw no way to get them short of going to Malaysia. Notice that they have articulated jaws. Aaron, 902 A: Thanks for sharing this unique mask with us. The Mah Meri tribe of Malaysia have an elaborate ritual involving dancers with intricately-carved masks who perform the historic Main Jo-oh dance for the annual Hari Moyang festival in Pulau Carey, 90 miles…
