Indonesia, Bali or Java, ca. late 19th to early 20th century CE. An early, hand-carved wooden mask with bulging red and black eyes, a leering mouth with huge canines that extend down the chin, a glossy black face with a large, animal-like snout, and a red-and-black-painted border perhaps meant to resemble hair with shallow incised lines to give it texture. This mask may represent a Barong, a lion-like creature that is king of the spirits and leader of the hosts of the good in Balinese mythology. Comes with custom stand. Size: 5" L x 5.9" W x 7" H (12.7 cm x 15 cm x 17.8 cm); height on stand: 11.2" (28.4 cm)

This is a Topeng - the Indonesian word for mask - which is worn during the dramatic dances enacted in Bali and to a lesser extent Java that depict traditional stories of kings, princes, heroes, and myths. In these dances, the entire story is performed by only four or five actors playing all the parts, both male and female. As a result, actors will have around forty masks like this one that are only his. There is believed to be a special bond between actor and mask and when an actor dons the mask, he enters a kind of trance, connected to the spiritual world.

Provenance: Adeon Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, USA, acquired prior to 1970

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#122139

Wear to pigment as shown, with nice age patina on wood and signs of wear.