Early 20th Century Hand-Carved Wood Tribal Mask from Atoni Tribe Timor

This very flat mask originates from the Atoni people of Timor, featuring two very small eye holes. For the Timorese people masks portray both male and female ancestors, worn by warri...

A visibly old mask from the Javanese masks theatre ‘wayang topeng’: carved from hard wood, and painted on the front side. This mask is from Cirebon in Ja...

Timor Island sculpted wooden traditional mask (circa 1970s) on contemporary metal stand. This is a traditional mask of a figure with male facial features and two holes as eyes and another for the mouth with a handle below the face. The island of Timor gave rise to a distinctive practice of creating traditional masks whose precise origins and significance remain uncertain. Portraying both male and female ancestors, they were held by men during dances and other ceremonies, including celebrations of victory in war. Carved sculptures and masks are specific to rural villages. Here the practice of animism, or nature-worship, is incorporated with the carving of ancestral statues and masks, which have a ritualistic function. Some occasions that call for these ceremonies may include asking for successful crop planting, for prosperity, for good weather...

Discover the soul of Africa through this authentic Salampasu mask from DR Congo, handcrafted in the mid-20th century. Part of a carefully curated collec...