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Hellenistic Grotesque Theatre Mask of Maccus
$150,000
£112,026.45
€129,990.02
CA$207,751.05
A$232,887.27
CHF 121,445.43
MX$2,854,629.48
NOK 1,538,917.61
SEK 1,463,097.38
DKK 969,893.93
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About the Item
Grotesque theatrical mask of Maccus
Late Hellenistic or Early Imperial period, circa 1st century B.C. – 1st century A.D., likely from Southern Italy.
Terracotta with remains of pink and white pigment
Measure: Height: 20 cm.
With old label reading '‘n° 45''
This highly expressive terracotta mask is incredibly well-preserved, perhaps the best of all known masks of the Maccus type. It depicts a man with grotesque, comically deformed features. The face is broad with protruding ears, the hook-shaped nose is large and crooked, and the grimacing, gaping mouth reveals the figure’s bottom teeth. The eyebrows are frowning, accentuating the wrinkled forehead, and the man has a hunch on top of his bald skull. Holes have been pierced through the forehead and on each side of the mask, by which it would once have been attached, to a plinth or wall, as a hanging decorative object.
Under the influence of Greek settlers, a vibrant theatre tradition was established in and around the Southern Italian peninsula from at least the fifth century B.C. The comic genres focusing on social satire and mockery were particularly popular amongst both Greeks and native Italic people. In the Greek colonies, a new genre of farce was developed in the 4th century B.C. - the Phlyax plays, a form of mythological burlesque blending figures from the Greek pantheon with tropes borrowed from Athenian New Comedy. One of the most popular characters was Maccus, a bald, hunchbacked, crooked-nosed, and large-eared peasant, driven and derided by greed, whose physical description is reminiscent of the present mask. It was this genre of comedy that, through contact between the Southern Italian Greeks and their neighbours to the North, would later become beloved by the Romans.
It is important to note that stage performers did not wear masks in terracotta. Rather, they wore masks fashioned out of perishable materials such as wood, linen, or leather. Terracotta masks such as this one were modelled after these and deposed in sanctuaries or used as garden decoration. The use of masks as decorative ornaments testifies to the popularity of the dramatic arts in Rome and a strong aesthetic appreciation for theatre costumes. Indeed, props such as masks strongly enhanced the audience’s visual and aesthetic experience. As such, they were undoubtedly part of why farces were so loved by the public and thus became iconic elements of Roman public and cultural life. Depictions of theatrical scenes, actors, and masks can be found across the Roman arts, from sculptures to mosaics, frescoes, and reliefs, decorating both private and public buildings throughout the Empire.
Provenance:
- From the collection of Louis-Gabriel Bellon (1819-1899), Saint-Nicolas-lez- Arras and Rouen, thence by descent.
- Dimensions:Height: 7.88 in (20 cm)Diameter: 7.49 in (19 cm)
- Style:Classical Roman (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1st Century B.C.-1st Century A.D.
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:Seller: 429731stDibs: LU1052232061902
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