India & Himalayas

Himalayan mask of Mahakala

 

Q:  I live in Paris and came across this mask a few weeks ago. It looks fine for the patina and the wear. Stylistically, it appears to come from Bhutan. Especially because of the bridge on the back of the mask that permit it to sit on top of the head allowing the dancer to look through the mouth of the mask. Sorry I do not have a side view. Any ideas? I am more into Buddhist art but collecting interesting masks once in a while. Many thanks for your help.  Steve, 1279

A: It’s a Mahakala and could be from Bhutan, Nepal or Tibet. The big question is whether it is old and used, or something made recently for the tourist. Sometimes photographs aren’t good enough for me to tell. What do you think?

 

One Comment

  • Chris

    The photo is definitely not good enough to tell anything. However, in my opinion, the patina is somehow too extreme/glossy and too uniform to stem from real use. Next time we need better photos, please.

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