Masks
Mid-20th Century Japanese Showa Masks
Wood, Paint
1960s Mexican Folk Art Vintage Masks
Paper
Mid-20th Century Gabonese Tribal Masks
Wood
20th Century Papua New Guinean Tribal Masks
Wood, Paint
20th Century Congolese Tribal Masks
Copper
Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Antique Masks
Wood
1970s Mexican Folk Art Vintage Masks
Paint, Plastic
20th Century African Masks
Wood
2010s French Masks
Steel
20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Masks
Ceramic
20th Century African Masks
Wood
1960s French Vintage Masks
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Japanese Showa Masks
Wood
1960s Mexican Folk Art Vintage Masks
Paper
Early 20th Century Chinese Tribal Masks
Wood
Early 20th Century Nigerian Tribal Masks
Wood
Late 20th Century Guinean Tribal Masks
Wood
1930s Austrian Black Forest Vintage Masks
Wood
1960s Mexican Folk Art Vintage Masks
Paper
Early 20th Century Balinese Other Masks
Wood
Mid-20th Century Japanese Showa Masks
Wood, Lacquer, Paint
15th Century and Earlier Egyptian Antique Masks
Hardwood
1620s Congolese Tribal Antique Masks
Animal Skin, Organic Material, Wood
20th Century Angolan Masks
Wood
Early 20th Century Chinese Tribal Masks
Wood
Early 20th Century Indonesian Other Masks
Wood
1950s Balinese Folk Art Vintage Masks
Wood
Mid-20th Century Papua New Guinean Tribal Masks
Organic Material
2010s Italian Post-Modern Masks
Art Glass, Murano Glass, Murrine
15th Century and Earlier Peruvian Pre-Columbian Antique Masks
Copper
20th Century Ghanaian Masks
Wood, Paint
Mid-20th Century African Tribal Masks
Wood
Mid-20th Century Ivorian Tribal Masks
Wood
Early 20th Century Unknown Tribal Masks
Wood
20th Century Japanese Showa Masks
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Masks
Wood
1950s Cameroonian Vintage Masks
Korhogo Cloth, Natural Fiber, Raffia, Beads
Early 20th Century Liberian Tribal Masks
Wood
20th Century African Masks
Wood, Lucite
Mid-20th Century Papua New Guinean Tribal Masks
Stone
Mid-20th Century Japanese Showa Masks
Wood
1930s Japanese Vintage Masks
Leather, Fabric, Rope, Wood
Early 20th Century Congolese Masks
Copper
Early 20th Century Chinese Tribal Masks
Organic Material, Wood, Paper
1970s French French Provincial Vintage Masks
Natural Fiber
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Masks
Leather
Late 20th Century Ghanaian Tribal Masks
Metal
1960s Italian Vintage Masks
Clay, Rope
Mid-20th Century Congolese Folk Art Masks
Wood, Bamboo
Early 20th Century Masks
Paper
20th Century African Masks
Wood
Mid-20th Century Congolese Masks
Shell, Burlap, Wood
1950s Japanese Chinoiserie Vintage Masks
Metal
20th Century Beninese Masks
Hardwood
Late 19th Century Nepalese Tribal Antique Masks
Wood
Early 20th Century Chinese Tribal Masks
Wood
Mid-20th Century Congolese Mid-Century Modern Masks
Ceramic, Terracotta
1970s French Vintage Masks
Ceramic
Early 20th Century Indian Masks
Other
Early 20th Century Ivorian Art Deco Masks
Bronze
Antique and Vintage Masks
Today, art enthusiasts and venturesome interior designers find a lot to love and appreciate about antique and vintage masks, particularly as they have earned a distinct place amid a collection of folk art and other collectibles and curiosities in contemporary homes.
Folk art refers to art that people, not classically trained, created for either utilitarian or decorative purposes. With respect to visual art in folk art, it is typically reflective of a community’s culture and usually handmade by craftspeople working within a popular tradition. Masks, as part of this history, have been used in carnivals, theater, medicine, therapy, religion and more. The use of masks in rituals and sacred ceremonies goes back thousands of years, and masks in general are believed to be much older. And all kinds of other uses have been found for masks and face coverings over time. We have enlisted these accessories for protection, to signal modesty, facilitate flirtation, enable licentiousness or simply to look cool.
Archaeologists found a mask in Palestine that is believed to be 9,000 years old, a Neolithic-era stone mask that may have been part of rituals associated with the worship of ancestors. Some tribal masks are worn as an offering to the gods. Masks are among the most important African art forms, for example, and traditional African masks can be used to lend a concrete form to an invisible spirit. Dancers donning wooden tribal masks celebrate important events to honor their deceased ancestors. These masks are also very important devices for storytelling and sharing the oral history of a community.
For Asian artists, specific colors are used in masks to convey different values and ideas. In Japan, a red Oni mask worn by performers during a festival might signify anger, while in China’s Peking Opera, a mask that has been hand-painted gold would be worn by an immortal.
Mexican craftspeople make masks for traditional celebrations and ceremonial dances. Mexican masks are part of the country’s folk-art traditions that go back thousands of years and play a role in festivals and theater. A common symbol of the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead is a skull, which is widely represented in masks (although the innumerable activities associated with the holiday are by no means universal).
We’re inviting you to explore and pay respect to the long folk-art traditions that underpin mask-making by introducing antique and vintage masks to your space. Find an exciting collection on 1stDibs today.