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Masks For Sale
Period: 18th Century
Period: 17th Century
Period: 15th Century and Earlier
Period: 16th Century
Japanese Antique Edo Hand Carved Wood Noh Theater Mask Otobide 17th-18th Century
Located in Studio City, CA
A truly beautiful, wonderfully aged, alluring mask made for Japanese Noh theater. The naturally faded beauty and unique character drew us to this mask immediately.
The mask is handcrafted and hand-carved from natural wood, clearly by a master of his trade.
We believe this mask is of the Noh theatre character Otobide.
This mask dates back to the Edo Period (1603-1868). It comes with a wooden storage box (which may have been added at a later date).
A rare, unique, and exquisite mask. Finely carved and executed. Would be a great addition to any Japanese or Asian art/artifacts collection or an eye-catching stand-alone accent piece in about any setting.
Mask dimensions: 7.7" high, 5.7" wide, 2.1" deep...
Category
18th Century Japanese Edo Antique Masks
Materials
Wood, Lacquer, Paint
Moche Copper Bronze Mask
Located in San Pedro Garza Garcia, Nuevo Leon
A large coper mask of a dignitary with almond shaped, inset shell eyes with pupils and a wide brim type crown. Attached at the brow line, a row of danglers is suspended, aligning the...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Peruvian Pre-Columbian Antique Masks
Materials
Copper
Egyptian Mummy Mask, Late Period, ca. 700-30 B.C.
Located in San Pedro Garza Garcia, Nuevo Leon
Carved hardwood mummy mask having a pink-brown painted ground, painted black eyes and brows. Wearing a black headband. Eyes and brows are restored. Scattere...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Egyptian Antique Masks
Materials
Hardwood
Noh Edo Period Lion Mask II
Located in Pasadena, CA
This another superb example of an Edo Period early 18th century or earlier Lion Mask created for the Lion Dances of the Gion Matsuri Festival. The mask is i...
Category
Early 18th Century Japanese Edo Antique Masks
Materials
Wood
Kuba Mask African Bwoom Tribal Congo in Wood, Vibrates Vegetables, Animal Hair
Located in Milano, IT
The African Kuba Bwoom tribal mask is the oldest known mask, the Kuba bwoom mask. The materials used for the realization of the Mask are: Wood, colors and vibrates plants, caures, beads, animal hair. In dance it expresses exuberance and joy. The style is similar to that of the middle Kasai. This mask is a helmet with animal hair, carved with a very wide forehead and hollow cheeks that are announced by motifs or dashes and beads. The mouth of the mask is very pronounced carved in wood and then applied on the mask. To distinguish the forehead in different areas are used black and white beads to draw attention to other aspects of the face such as the nose and chin. The entire edge of the chin is surrounded by beads of various colors. The person wearing the mask cannot look because there are no holes for the eyes present; the mask must create the feeling of being blind. Some masks similar to the bwoom mask include the funny mask, the ram mask and initiation masks such as Nnup.
The real Kuba masks...
Category
1620s Congolese Tribal Antique Masks
Materials
Animal Skin, Organic Material, Wood
Pre-Columbian Chimu Gold Mask With Scar
Located in San Pedro Garza Garcia, Nuevo Leon
A large sheet gold mask depicting a stylized human face having an individually fashioned and applied nose. Large low relief repousse eyes and rectangular mou...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Peruvian Pre-Columbian Antique Masks
Materials
Gold
Pre-Columbian Funerary Gold Mask with Royal Turquoise Beads in its Eyes
Located in San Pedro Garza Garcia, Nuevo Leon
A high karat heavy sheet gold human face mask with large almond-shaped eyes and recessed pierced pupils. Multiple small perforations along the upper and lower edges for attachment. L...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Ecuadorean Pre-Columbian Antique Masks
Materials
Gold
Oceania Shell Mask
Located in Munich, DE
Rare tribal mask from West-Africa.
Category
17th Century Antique Masks
Materials
Shell
Wooden Mask with Rock Crystal Eyes and Bronze Eyelids/Eyebrows
Located in San Pedro Garza Garcia, Nuevo Leon
Wooden mask with rock crystal eyes and bronze eyelids/eyebrows
Circa: 711-332 BC
Origin: Egypt.
Category
15th Century and Earlier Egyptian Antique Masks
Materials
Stucco
Related Items
MISTO, Seminara Ceramic Mask
Located in Paris, FR
MISTO invites itself into your interior to ward off spells, evil spirits and evil influences.
Sophie Dries reinvents the traditional Calabrian mask with her contemporary graphic
li...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Masks
Materials
Ceramic
Hand-Carved Wood Javanese ‘Wayang Topeng’ Theatre Mask, Indonesia c. 1900
Located in Jimbaran, Bali
A visibly old mask from the Javanese masks theatre ‘wayang topeng’: carved from hard wood, and painted on the front side. The mask shows clear traces of ...
Category
Early 20th Century Indonesian Other Masks
Materials
Wood
Free Shipping
H 9.85 in W 8.27 in D 4.73 in
Antique Mexican Demon Mask
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
We offer this rare antique Mexican Demon mask in wood, circa 1970. The mask makes a sound when moved.
Category
1970s Mexican Folk Art Vintage Masks
Materials
Wood
Antique Mexican Diablo Mask
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
We offer this rare and very antique Mexican Diablo mask in wood, circa 1940. Great patina.
Category
1940s Mexican Folk Art Vintage Masks
Materials
Wood
Cariddi, Seminara Ceramic Mask
Located in Paris, FR
In Greek mythology, the name CARIDDI (Charybdis in English) belonged to a monster that lived in the sea between Calabria and Sicily and destroyed ships by swallowing them up and spitting them back out, generating dangerous whirlpools in the water. This myth is reinterpreted in the form of a mask, which inverts the traditional convex surface to create a concave volume inspired by the underwater world. The mask invites the gaze into the blue depths of its smooth interior, where an uncanny protrusion emerges in the shape of a nose, a signature motif in Giovanni De Francesco’s artistic production. Each nose-island is different from the others; every mask has a unique beauty accentuated by imperfections, smudges, and uncontrollable colors, invoking the unpredictability of fear. This perception overturns the ferocious symbolism of the legendary monster, rewriting CARIDDI as a welcoming narrative. The artist’s explorations of fear, danger, and the unknown become particularly poignant when placed in the recent historical context of Calabria and the Mediterranean Sea.
In the exceptional conditions of the present moment, when hundreds of millions of people are spending more time at home than ever before in living memory, the homeware brand TRAME wants to share the inspiring and supportive influences of these Mediterranean ritual objects with the entire world.
The masks, whether the traditional forms or the contemporary design interpretations, reveal a sense of both timelessness and contemporaneity in their aspirational evocation of a social life with more serenity and less fear.
Details:
- Dimension: approximately 28 H x 22 W x 8 D cm
- Material: 100% Mediterranean terracotta clay
- Technique: 100% handmade in Italy
- Each handcrafted CARIDDI Seminara mask is unique. Picture on an indicative basis.
- 14-days return policy
- In stock
Giovanni De Francesco (Bergamo 1976), lives and works between Milan and Paris. He is a visual artist dedicated to sculptural installations through the use of plastic materials, photography, video, painting and sound. Since 1997 he has taken part in many personal exhibits as well as collective ones. He an artistic consultant at the Luisa delle Piane gallery in Milan and is a founding member of the Monstera theatre company.
He occasionally collaborates with Andre Branzi...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Masks
Materials
Ceramic
African Dogon Manner Tribal Face Mask
Located in New York, NY
African Dogon manner tribal face mask, in the style of the Dogon peoples of Mali.
Dimensions: 12" H x 6" W (approx)
Dealer: S138XX.
Category
Mid-20th Century Tribal Masks
Materials
Wood
Japanese Meiji Noh Mask in Carved Wood
Located in New York, NY
Japanese early Meiji period Noh theater mask made of carved wood with gofun layers. The piece was made in Japan in circa 1880 and is signed on the back. In great antique condition wi...
Category
1880s Japanese Meiji Antique Masks
Materials
Wood
Oro Efe Gelede Mask, Nigeria
Located in Antwerp, BE
The Gelede spectacle of the Yoruba is a public display by colorful masks which combines art and ritual dance to amuse, educate and inspire worship. Gelede celebrates “Mothers” (awon iya wa), a group that includes female ancestors and deities as well as the elderly women of the community, and the power and spiritual capacity these women have in society. However, this power may also be destructive and take the form of witchcraft; therefore, Gelede serves the function of appeasing this power, as well.
Gelede costume and headdress.
Gelede masks...
Category
Mid-20th Century Nigerian Tribal Masks
Materials
Wood
Traditional, Seminara Ceramic Mask
Located in Paris, FR
Ditto potters with Antonio Bonamico.
The ceramic masks of Seminara are ostentatious and grotesque, with deliberately frightening features to scare away ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Masks
Materials
Ceramic
Pre Columbian Large Inca Early Colonial period Wood Kero South American Antiques
Located in London, GB
Large Pre Columbian INCA / Early Colonial period Wood Kero
A superb Large Inca Kero cup profusely carved in the mosaic style with a image of the Inca or...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Peruvian Antique Masks
Materials
Wood
H 9.45 in W 6.3 in D 5.12 in
Old African Songye Female Kifwebe Wall Mask with Expressive Face Large Sized
Located in Torquay, GB
Large sized Songye Female Kifwebe mask from The Congo circa 1920s.
Traditionally, the Kifwebe mask is very symbolic in the Bantu culture of central Africa.
Its striking colours and carving symbolise the battle between good and evil.
Female Kifwebe masks represent femininity, the continuation of life and a good omen.
These masks were used for wedding ceremonies, reproduction rituals and other such occasions.
This large mask...
Category
Early 20th Century Congolese Tribal Masks
Materials
Wood
H 13.78 in W 7.88 in D 6.7 in
Pre Columbian Narino Carchi Coquero Coca chewer Figure Columbia
Located in London, GB
A hand modelled statue of a male coca chewer figure , known as a Coquero, wearing a sash sitting upon a bench, the coca quid in his right cheek, with black negative resist design
Pr...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Colombian Antique Masks
Materials
Pottery
Free Shipping
H 7.09 in W 5.52 in D 4.73 in
Previously Available Items
18th-19th Century Mask, Arunachal Pradesh, Eastern Himalayas, India
Located in Point Richmond, CA
Mask, Monpa-Sherdukpen people, Arunachal Pradesh, India
A mask from the Monpa/Sherdukpen people of Arunachal Pradesh, which is thought to be a monk or one of the sons of Apapek. I...
Category
Late 18th Century Indian Tribal Antique Masks
Materials
Wood
Wooden Mask with Rock Crystal Eyes and Bronze Eyelids/Eyebrows
Located in San Pedro Garza Garcia, Nuevo Leon
Wooden mask with rock crystal eyes and bronze eyelids/eyebrows
Circa: 711-332 BC
Origin: Egypt.
Category
15th Century and Earlier Egyptian Antique Masks
Materials
Stucco
Japanese Okame Ko-Omote Noh Theater Mask Edo Period
Located in Studio City, CA
A truly beautiful, wonderfully aged, alluring mask made for Japanese Noh theater. The natural faded beauty and unique character drew us to this mask immediately.
This mask is handcrafted and carved from natural wood and lacquer.
Ko-omote translates as "little mask" or sometimes "small face." This particular delicate featured mask (her red lips really stand out) is used for main and sometimes secondary roles when the character is a young girl or, in some cases, a supernatural being. What is also interesting about this mask is that remnants of the blackened teeth can still be seen. Centuries ago, it was customary for Japanese women to paint their teeth black after they were married.
We believe this mask dates from the mid-late Edo period and thus quite rare. The mask was acquired from an antique mask...
Category
Late 18th Century Japanese Edo Antique Masks
Materials
Wood, Lacquer
Japanese Court Dance Mask / Bugaku, circa 1800
Located in Point Richmond, CA
Japanese Court dance mask / Bugaku, circa 1800
This mask was used in a form of traditional court dance known as bugaku during the end of the 18th and early 19th centuries. Traditi...
Category
Late 18th Century Japanese Edo Antique Masks
Materials
Gesso, Hardwood
Bamana Mask "Ntomo", Mali, Africa, circa 18th-19th Century
Located in San Pedro Garza Garcia, Nuevo Leon
Very old African wooden mask with brown patina, resin-like mass with nassa snails on the five tooth-like projecting horns, minor missing parts (chin, nose) and snails, traces of insect caused damage.
This beautiful piece comes with a custom-made stand.
According to Robert Goldwater, former director of New York’s now-defunct Museum of Primitive Art (MPA), He describes Ntomo face masks as "among the most interesting of the Bambara [or Bamana] masks." He recognizes formal variety in the carving of Ntomo face masks, but he also specifies that an "oval shaped human face surmounted by a high comb of vertical spikes or horns" distinguishes Ntomo face masks from other types of face masks.
Research indicates that the Bambara mask...
Category
Late 18th Century Malian Tribal Antique Masks
Materials
Wood
Antique Japanese Noh Theatre Mask, Edo Period, 18th Century
Located in Prahran, Victoria
Antique Japanese carved and lacquered Noh Theatre mask on stand, Edo period, 18th Century.
Dimensions: H 21 cm x W 14 cm x D 8 cm.
Category
Mid-18th Century Japanese Edo Antique Masks
Free Shipping
H 8.27 in W 5.52 in D 3.15 in
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.