Masks

The apotropaic (warding off evil) mask from Seminara can be distinguished by its horns, wide eyes, mustache, and screaming mouth with its tongue sticking out. The masks are finished in enormous wood fired kilns, which adds an uncontrollable twist to the features and colors rendered by the artisan’s hands—the final touch in their fierce and imperfect beauty. The demonic aspect of this mask is manifested in order to be expelled, bringing serenity to the owner and ridding the home of negative energy. Giovanni De Francesco takes an idiosyncratic approach to the traditional mask, aiming not for verisimilitude but for a rough impression of the volumes of the face. Using sculptural gestures to shape the clay, he accentuates the fundamental geometry and makes the shapes more grotesque. Incense can also be placed within TA RA TA TA’s ceramic jaws for ritual burning. This function alludes to a specific variation of the typical mask in in the form of a chimneypot: with smoke pouring out of its mouth and eyes, the mask would appear much more ferocious—and thus even more powerful. Details: - Dimension: approximately 32 H x 25 W x 10 D cm - Material: 100% Mediterranean terracotta clay - Technique: 100% handmade in Italy - Each handcrafted TA RA TA TA 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...

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...

Mid-20th century black dance mask, Guerrero, Mexico A nice old mask from Guererro, Mexico, used in the Tlacololero Dance of the Tlactapa and probably fr...

Woman’s Gucci pony hair belt with brass buckle.

Ceramic Mask, Accolay, France, 1960s Accolay was a pottery center in France, north of Burgundy, founded amongst others, by 4 students of Alexandre Kostanda. Active between 1945 and 1...

Large woven painted basketry wall mask Blackwater rivers area, Papua New Guinea. With open expressive mouth and mask fringed with feathers, striking mask that easily hangs on the wal...

Ceramic mask, Vallauris, France, 1960s Custom made pedestal.

Ceramic Mask by Jaque Sagan, Vallauris, France, 1960s Jean-Louis Dupuy a.k.a. Jaque Sagan was active in Vallauris from 1952 until his death in 1969. The pedestal is recent and cust...

The Beaded Royal Headdress is made of a palm tree fibre structure, enfolded with burlap cloth embroided with European glass beads that cover the entire object with geometric symbolic...

A magnificent American folk art headdress mask by P.J. Stover, signed, titled "Visions", circa 2008. Remarkably executed, the eclectic, sculptural mixed media wall hanging display is...

Woven painted basketry yam helmet mask from Papua New Guinea. Hollow woven form with traces of red and white pigments. Measures: 14 1/2 inches high, mid 20th century.

A set of ceramic masquerade wall masks (male+female) made in Venice in 1982 and bought in the museum shop at Galleria Giorgio Franchetti that houses in the famous Ca'd'Oro at the Gra...

Ceramic Mask, anonymous, France, 1960s Custom made pedestal.

African Woman glazed terracotta sculpture signed by Artist L. Zoao. One-Of-A-Kind Terracotta bust.  

Popular 1950s Spanish bull head hand painted papier-mâché mask worn during village festivals.   

Wall ceramic mask, circa 1950 French midcentury ceramic mask with elegant black ceramic glaze color. Original perfect conditions Measures: Height 24 cm, large 22 cm, depth 7...

Very unique antique handmade folk art papier/paper mâché Mardi Gras/Halloween voodoo costume mask. The mask is handmade and painted by the artist. Signed "Michel" on the inside. Grea...

Very unique antique handmade Folk Art papier/papier mâché Mardi Gras/Halloween voodoo costume mask. The mask is handmade and painted by the artist. Signed "Michel" on the inside. Gre...

From a series of masks and heads, "Sharp is the Action" is a tabletop sculpture inspired by the masks and heads made throughout Oceania. Landing in the nebulous zone between ceremony...

Carved wood African headdress on later iron stand.

Pair of Murano glass carnivale masks. Handblown and molded gold flecked black cased glass with infused colorful circular details.

Lady Gaga (1986-) is an American recording artist, activist, record producer, businesswoman, fashion designer, philanthropist, and actress who has sold over 125 million singles worldwide. Gaga worn items are exceptionally rare on the collectors market. In a Harper's Bazaar interview in February 2014 Gaga explained: "The fashion I've acquired over the years is so sacred to me -- from costumes to couture, high fashion to punk wear I've collected from my secret international hot spots...I keep everything in an enormous archive in Hollywood." This is Lady Gaga's mask worn in her 'Manifesto of Little Monsters' short film from her Monster's Ball Tour. The mask was made by the celebrated Franc Fernandez who also designed Gaga's infamous meat costume that she wore to the 2010 MTV Awards. In very good condition. A unique piece of Lady Gaga music memorabilia...

An interesting ceramic mask by F. Labelle, with a metal base. Signed "Labelle". Unique piece. Perfect original conditions, circa 1980-1990.

Unique set of old fencing masks. Cool display piece. Good vintage condition.