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Central American Carved Wood Ceremonial Mask

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  • Set of 3 Hand-Carved Wood Madura Island Ceremonial Masks, Indonesia, c. 1950
    Located in Jimbaran, Bali
    This set of 3 mid-20th century mask were sed on the island of Madura for ceremonial purposes. The island of Madura is situated off the north-eastern coast of Java. This mask features...
    Category

    Mid-20th Century Indonesian Other Masks

    Materials

    Wood

  • Yupik Yup'ik Native American Alaska Carved Polychrome Wood Anthropomorphic Mask
    Located in Studio City, CA
    A fantastic mask by the Yup'ik (Yupik) aboriginal, indigenous people of South-Western and South Central Alaska. The Yup'ik people, who are related to the Inuit peoples, have a long history of ceremonial mask making. Yup'ik masks were originally and specifically designed by Shamans and made to be worn by these spiritual leaders in winter tribal dances and sacred ceremonies. Traditionally, the masks were destroyed or discarded after use in these ceremonies. Very few of these masks survived. After Christian contact in the late 19th century, masked dancing was suppressed and the tradition all but died out. As more outsiders settled in Alaska at the turn of the century, masks were made by the Yup'ik people to sell or trade for necessary goods. It is likely that this mask was created some years later for this purpose. In the 20th century, Yup'ik mask had a profound influence on many renowned surrealist artists including, Max Ernst, Joan Miro, Leonora Carrington, Victor Brauner, and most notably Andre Breton who was an avid collector of Yup'ik masks. This fantastic anthropomorphic mask is carved of lighter wood, hand painted and decorated with pigment, and held together with natural fiber. A native bird can see seen attached to the smiling figure's chin. The mask is from a French collection. We were told that this mask, as well as others in the collection we have listed, was acquired originally in the 1950s-1960s in Alaska and the Yukon territory in Canada but as we have no way to verify or authenticate this. Please note we are listing the masks as decorative and not as actual tribal artifacts...
    Category

    20th Century American Masks

    Materials

    Natural Fiber, Wood, Paint

  • Yupik Yup'ik Native American Alaska Carved Polychrome Wood Anthropomorphic Mask
    Located in Studio City, CA
    A truly fascinating mask by the Yup'ik (Yupik) aboriginal, indigenous people of South-Western & South Central Alaska. The Yup'ik people, who are related to the Inuit peoples, have a ...
    Category

    20th Century American Masks

    Materials

    Natural Fiber, Wood, Paint

  • Yupik Yup'ik Native American Alaska Carved Polychrome Wood Anthropomorphic Mask
    Located in Studio City, CA
    A fantastic and somewhat grotesquely strange mask by the Yup'ik (Yupik) aboriginal, indigenous people of South-Western & South Central Alaska. The Yup'ik people, who are related to t...
    Category

    20th Century American Masks

    Materials

    Natural Fiber, Wood, Paint

  • Yupik Yup'ik Native American Alaska Carved Polychrome Wood Anthropomorphic Mask
    Located in Studio City, CA
    A fantastic and somewhat playful mask by the Yup'ik (Yupik) aboriginal, indigenous people of South-Western & South Central Alaska. The Yup'ik people, who are related to the Inuit peoples, have a long history of ceremonial mask making. Yup'ik masks were originally and specifically designed by Shamans and made to be worn by these spiritual leaders in Winter tribal dances and sacred ceremonies. Traditionally, the masks were destroyed or discarded after use in these ceremonies. Very few of these masks survived. After Christian contact in the late 19th century, masked dancing was suppressed and the tradition all but died out. As more outsiders settled in Alaska at the turn of the century, masks were made by the Yup'ik people to sell or trade for necessary goods. It is likely that this mask was created some years later for this purpose. In the 20th century, Yup'ik mask had a profound influence on many renowned surrealist artists including, Max Ernst, Joan Miro, Leonora Carrington, Victor Brauner, and most notably Andre Breton who was an avid collector of Yup'ik masks. This fantastic anthropomorphic mask is carved of lighter wood, hand painted and decorated with pigment, and held together with natural fiber. The mask seems to represent some sort of smiling, benevolent spirit or character with its four eyes, bird beak, and cat-like ears. The mask is from a French collection. We were told that this mask, as well as others in the collection we have listed, was acquired originally in the 1950s-1960s in Alaska and the Yukon territory in Canada but as we have no way to verify or authenticate this. Please note we are listing the masks as decorative and not as actual tribal artifacts...
    Category

    20th Century American Masks

    Materials

    Wood, Paint, Natural Fiber

  • Antique African Carved Toma Landai Tribal Ceremonial Mask Guinea Art Horns
    Located in Dayton, OH
    Early antique hand carved Toma or Landai mask from Guinea, Africa. “These brooding, often quite large, masks represent a forest spirit, Landai. Masks lik...
    Category

    Early 20th Century Tribal Masks

    Materials

    Raffia, Hardwood

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