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…
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Another interesting mystery
Q: I inherited this mask. I would like to know its origin and the period. The material is wood, which has been polished, and the dimensions are height 24cm, width 15,5cm and depth 5,5cm. It is relatively flat. Erik, 901 A: Flat masks without eye holes are usually made for tourists… but not always. I have seen things like this from both Africa and the South Pacific that were used in culture. It has the feel of authenticity– as if it has been handled for many years in some tribe. I hope that Erik will double check to see if it is made of bone rather than wood. It looks…
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A well known mask from the Lega
Q: Here is an African Lega with beard. The mask is 5″ x 7.5″; and the beard extends 7″ below bottom of mask at shortest point. Sue, 900 A: The first photo was sent with several others. I thought I should share it with you because it is very popular with collectors. The Lega are a large ethnic group in the one of the largest countries of Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo. Lega masks are used as initiation objects in the Bwami society. Unlike many masks in other African cultures, the masks of the Lega are not usually worn over the face, they are attached to the body, held…
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Mask from Sepik River, PNG
Q: I came across this really interesting mask at an estate sale. They thought it might be Alaskan in origin. After i brought it home and did a little research of my own, i came across your website and from what i can tell i think it may be an example of a PNG Sepik River area mask. Can you confirm or debunk this based on these pictures, and maybe give me an idea of how old you think it might be? Eric, 899 You did your homework! But now I want you to do more and try to find out how old this piece is. Mask made before the…
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One of the great artists of Mexico
Q: Here are several photos from Suchitlan, including an old photograph of the Morenos who are all wearing the masks made by Don Herminio. Pablo, 898 A: The first photo is a coyote by the master maskmaker, Herminio Candelario of Suchitlan, Colima, in western Mexico. His father and his sons were/and are well known makers, but he was, in my opinion, the Picasso of Mexican masks. A+ The second is an old photo of the big celebrations in Suchitlan’s Fiesta of the Animals. This revelry is in conjunction with the Blessing of the Animals. Participants wear masks representing all the animals of the land. Animals of all types, from family…
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Guacamaya character from Guatemala
Q: Here is a rare mask of the central figure in the Guacamaya dance in Guatemala. Jon, 897 A: I love the look of this mask, even if it is a little rough. Here is what Jim Pieper has to say in his book Guatemala’s Masks & Drama, “The Guacamaya is a very old dance, which is possibly pre-conquest, with little documentation. It tells the tale of a Mayan king who was turned into a parrot. This dance uses some of the largest carved masks in Mesoamerica. The dance is performed in May in Santa Cruz, Alta Verapaz.”
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10 Mexican Must Haves
The above mask is a female Catrin from the state of Tlaxcala Mexico is a country with many different masquerade traditions (usually called dances), and each of them features a number of different characters. Also important– these traditions are still being practiced so that many different Mexican masks are available to collectors. Because of this abundance you have the choice of various themes for your collection: types of characters, geography, ethnicity, construction material and so forth. The following ten masks represent different types of characters used in the dances. More good news for people interested in building a collection: almost all antiques including Mexican masks are very low in price…
