Masks
to
31
116
94
245
14
2
27
13
5
2
2
1
7
19
219
16
46
86
38
4
2
3
4
13
21
24
4
4
175
32
31
29
17
80
60
59
56
32
261
260
261
8
2
1
1
1
Masks For Sale
Pende-Style Antelope Mask
Located in Chicago, IL
Masks from the Pende people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are considered some of the most dramatic works of African art. The Pende have defined an extensive range of mask forms, many with distinct characters embodied during ritual ceremony. Colored by red and white pigments, this Pende mask...
Category
Mid-20th Century Congolese Tribal Masks
Materials
Wood
Japanese Okame Ko-Omote Wood Carved Noh Theater Mask
Located in Studio City, CA
A beautiful, wonderfully crafted, alluring mask made for Japanese Noh theatre. This mask is handcrafted and carved from natural wood.
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 the blackened teeth which centuries ago, was customary for Japanese women to paint their teeth black after they became married.
We believe this mask dates from the mid-to early Showa period, perhaps Mejia. The mask was acquired from an antique mask...
Category
Mid-20th Century Japanese Showa Masks
Materials
Wood
Vintage Folk Art Style Wood Mask
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Exceptional artistically hand carved wood mask hand painted made of single piece of wood and was made for decorative purpose. Very intriguing and...
Category
20th Century African Masks
Materials
Wood
Japanese Signed Showa Carved Wood Kyogen Noh Theater Raccoon Dog Tanuki Mask
Located in Studio City, CA
A beautiful, wonderfully crafted, quite engaging mask made for Japanese Kyogen Noh theatre.
This mask is quite rare much like the Kitsune fox mask which this is sometimes confused f...
Category
Mid-20th Century Japanese Showa Masks
Materials
Wood, Paint
"Ruby" Helmet for Christian Dior
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Extremely rare
Christian Dior / ruby
Ruby helmet for Christian Dior.
Helmet designed for the decoration of Dior boutiques and which has never been comme...
Category
2010s French Masks
Materials
Steel
Dance mask, Kifwebe, Songye, Congo
By Songye Tribe
Located in Stockholm, SE
Dance mask/ sculpture. Known as a Kifwebe mask. Songye. Carved wood. 20th century.
With a few flaws and repairs.
Category
20th Century Congolese Masks
Materials
Wood
Japanese Signed Hand Carved Wood Noh Theater Omi-Onna Mask with Custom Box 1900s
Located in Studio City, CA
A truly beautiful, wonderfully crafted, alluring female mask made for the Japanese Noh theatre.
This mask is handcrafted and carved from natural wood and lacquer.
Omi-Onna's (...
Category
Mid-20th Century Japanese Showa Masks
Materials
Wood
Antique Yao Shaman
s Mask
Located in Point Richmond, CA
Yao Shaman's Mask
Guizhou Province, China
Early 20th Century
Wood,horse hair, printed paper, nails
Size: 13 1/2" x 8" (34 x 20 cm)
On a custom made metal stand.
Covered inside and o...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Tribal Masks
Materials
Organic Material, Wood, Paper
A large mask by Agostino Dessi
Located in London, GB
A large mask by Agostino Dessi depicting Michaeangelo's David, papier-mâché, signed to the reverse.
Agostino Dessì (b. 1952) is a renowned Italian mask maker from Sardinia, celebrat...
Category
Mid-20th Century Masks
Materials
Paper
Japanese Antique Tengu
s Face / Objet / 1868-1912s / Wabi-sabi Mingei
Located in Iwate-gun Shizukuishi-cho, Iwate Prefecture
This is the old Tengu surface that was used in the Kyushu region of Japan.
It is thought to be from around the Meiji period.
Tengu noodles are said to be an amulet, a blessing, and...
Category
Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Antique Masks
Materials
Wood
Early 20th Century Large Tribal Shield
Located in Sheffield, MA
Highly decorative and impressive shields from the buttress-like roots and/or trunks of mangrove trees. The soft mangrove wood is well suited to be proces...
Category
Early 20th Century Unknown Tribal Masks
Materials
Wood
$1,500 Sale Price
45% Off
Expressive Early Classic Cubist Dan Mask Early 20th Century Liberia, ex Sothebys
Located in Point Richmond, CA
Expressive early classic cubist Dan mask with refined expressive look, narrow open eyes and mouth and fine line scarification marks around outside of face. Created early 20th century by the Dan People...
Category
Early 20th Century Liberian Tribal Masks
Materials
Wood
Contemporary Folk Art Style Wood Mask
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Exceptional hand carved wood mask with graphic elements, made of a single piece of wood and was made for decorative purposes. Very intriguing and...
Category
20th Century African Masks
Materials
Wood, Lucite
Baga Altar Figure or Mask Guinea
Located in San Mateo, CA
Baga anok altar mask from Guinea. This is probably last quarter of the 20th century and made for the collector market. Large piece and great form.
Category
Late 20th Century Guinean Tribal Masks
Materials
Wood
Pair of White Plaster Textured Wall Mexican Masks
Located in Pasadena, CA
A pair of modern sculptural wall masks in textured white composite. One features geometric carved patterns, while the other incorporates abstract leaf motifs, combining organic forms...
Category
1980s Mexican Vintage Masks
Materials
Plaster
Set of Six Vintage French Three Dimensional Masks
Located in Stamford, CT
Very animated face masks from the 1940s. Three dimensional.
Category
1940s French Vintage Masks
Materials
Composition
$360 Sale Price / set
20% Off
Japanese Signed Showa Hand Carved Wood Noh Theater Mask of Demon Hashihime 橋姫
Located in Studio City, CA
A beautiful, wonderfully crafted, grotesquely alluring mask made for Japanese Noh theatre.
The mask is handcrafted and hand-carved from natural wood and is signed by the maker.
Th...
Category
Mid-20th Century Japanese Showa Masks
Materials
Wood, Paint
Japanese Signed Showa Hand Carved Wood Noh Theater Mask of Buddhist Monk Shunkan
Located in Studio City, CA
A beautifully carved, wonderfully crafted, highly engaging mask made for Japanese Noh theatre.
The mask is handcrafted and hand carved from natural wood and is signed and sealed b...
Category
20th Century Japanese Showa Masks
Materials
Wood
Older Yoruba African Carved and Painted Mask, Labeled
Located in Bridgeport, CT
An older small scale mask carved and painted white (now worn) with painted blue and black features and a black top knot. Marked on interior tape, “Yoruba”. The Mask with good age, fa...
Category
Mid-20th Century African Tribal Masks
Materials
Wood
Congolese Kuba Bwoon Helmet Mask
Located in Pasadena, TX
This piece is called a Kuba mask.
It was made in Congo.
Its a helmet and a mask.
Its decorated with cloth, beads and shells.
its nicely carved and would make a statement in your home...
Category
20th Century Congolese Tribal Masks
Materials
Wood, Beads
African Nafana Bedu Large Moon Plank Zoomorphic Geometric Wood Sculpure Mask
Located in Studio City, CA
A wonderful, quite large and heavy, colorful Bedu plank mask by the Nafana (Senufo) tribe who reside in the central north-west of Ghana and the north-east of...
Category
20th Century Ghanaian Masks
Materials
Wood, Paint
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
Antique Mexican Skull Mask
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
We offer this rare and very antique Mexican Skull mask in wood, circa 1970. Great patina.
Category
1970s Mexican Folk Art Vintage Masks
Materials
Wood
Black Italian Masquerade Face or Wall Masks, Signed Ca
d
Oro Venezia 1982
Located in Esbjerg, DK
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...
Category
1980s Italian Modern Vintage Masks
Materials
Pottery
20th Century Antique Carved Wood Mask, African Art
Located in Berlin, DE
20th Century Antique Carved Wood Mask, African Art
Solid wood, hand-carved, Africa probably century
Very decorative. Comes from a Berlin private collection.
Category
20th Century African Masks
Materials
Wood
Oceanian Bamboo Mask with Long Hair from New Guinea
Located in Pasadena, CA
Ceremonial mask from the Sepik River region of Papua New Guinea, associated with the dance traditions of the Eastern Highlands. Crafted from wood, cowrie shells, clay, pigment, and p...
Category
Mid-20th Century Papua New Guinean Primitive Masks
Materials
Shell, Natural Fiber, Wood
$1,200 Sale Price
25% Off
Japanese Signed Waka-Onna or Ko-Omote Wood Carved Noh Theater Mask, Showa 1900s
Located in Studio City, CA
A beautiful, wonderfully crafted, alluring mask made for Japanese Noh theater.
This mask is handcrafted and hand-carved from natural wood and signed/sealed by the maker on the underside.
This mask is the mask of Waka-Onna - or young beautiful woman. It may be that of Ko-omote. Ko-omote translates as "little mask" or sometimes "small face...
Category
Mid-20th Century Japanese Showa Masks
Materials
Wood, Paint
Indonesian Wood Mask, Mid-20th Century
Located in New York, NY
A vintage theater mask from Bali, Indonesia, circa 1975-1980.
Polychromed hand-carved teak, mounted on a black metal stand.
This type of mask is used at Indonesian Topeng or Mas...
Category
1970s Indonesian Tribal Vintage Masks
Materials
Teak
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
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
$2,873 Sale Price
20% Off
African Mask, Angola, 20th Century
Located in Berlin, DE
African mask in hand painted wood, 20th century Angola.
Category
20th Century Angolan Masks
Materials
Wood
$1,388 Sale Price
20% Off
Chinese Folk Wood Dance Mask with Smiling Expression Traces of Paint from China
Located in Point Richmond, CA
Carved wood dance mask from China with smiling expression, large square hat or headdress. Traces of many layers of paint, including red, blue, black and white pigments. Darkened pat...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Tribal Masks
Materials
Wood
$760 Sale Price
20% Off
Chinese Folk Wood Dance Mask with Open Eyes Red Lips Traces of Paint China
Located in Point Richmond, CA
Carved hard wood dance mask from China with powerful expression, open eyes. Traces of many layers of paint, including red, green, black and white pigments.
Ex- private collection in...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Tribal Masks
Materials
Wood
$937 Sale Price
25% Off
Italian Venetian Handcrafted Turquoise Royal Blue Gold Modern Tricorne Mask
Located in New York, NY
This Folk Art jester mask is a real Venetian creation, entirely hand-drawn and handcrafted in 2000. Italian Artists have realized this piece in full respect of craftsmanship traditio...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Bohemian Masks
Materials
Gold, Metallic Thread
African Basuku Helmet Mask
Located in Chicago, IL
During their five hundred year history in the Southern Congo, the Basuku tribe developed a series of intricate rituals built around their skilled mask makers. This particular example was most likely carved in the likeness of a deceased chieftain. The artisan intentionally pronounced the eyes, cheeks, and chin to provide a terrifying test for young men as they underwent their rites for manhood. The Basuku's spiritual expressions inspired early 20th century western painters...
Category
20th Century Congolese Tribal Masks
Materials
Wood
Mid-Century Teak Mask with Stand
Located in PARIS, FR
Rare teak mask, mid-century.
Category
1950s Vintage Masks
Materials
Teak
Set of 4 Detailed Wood Carving Alpine Gnome Dwarf Faces Austria Alps Folk Art
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Set of four rustic Folk Art carved wood face mountain man. This is a wonderful example of Austrian carving. This can be used as a Wall decoration in y...
Category
1960s German Folk Art Vintage Masks
Materials
Wood
African Futurist Gold Mask Created by Bomber Bax
Located in Milano, IT
Single African mask created by artist Bomber Bax.
The mask dates back to the early 1900s and was subsequently processed and painted in late 2022 by the artist.
The artist used spec...
Category
Early 1900s Ivorian Tribal Antique Masks
Materials
Wood
$2,394 Sale Price
20% Off
Early to Mid-20th Century Rosewood Biwa Plectrum, Japan
Located in Point Richmond, CA
Rosewood Plectrum for Biwa, Japan
A beautiful rosewood plectrum used in plucking the strings of a chikuzen-biwa, which is a 4-5 string fretted lute used t...
Category
Mid-20th Century Japanese Meiji Masks
Materials
Wood
Old Stone Axe With Carved Face, Pierced Nose, Papua New Guinea on custom Base
Located in Point Richmond, CA
Early hand carved stone axe with face, long nose with pierced nostrils, framed by loose oval form. Round eyes and slit mouth. Old worn surface.
8 1/2 inches high, early to mid 20th...
Category
Mid-20th Century Papua New Guinean Tribal Masks
Materials
Stone
Three-Faced Tribal Mask – We (Guéré) / Dan, Ivory Coast – circa 1940–1960
Located in PARIS, FR
Old We (Guéré) / Dan mask with three fused faces, symbolizing clairvoyance and spiritual vigilance.
Carved from dense fine-grained hardwood, it displays a dry, deep brown patina with...
Category
Early 20th Century Ivorian Tribal Masks
Materials
Wood
Hand-Carved Wood Javanese ‘Wayang Topeng’ Theatre Mask, Indonesia, c. 1900
Located in Jimbaran, Bali
This early 20th century ‘Wayang topeng’ mask was used in Javanese masked dance performances. This mask features a dark red polychrome and resembles a bird-...
Category
Early 20th Century Indonesian Other Masks
Materials
Wood
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
Powerful Early Classic Cubist Wood Standing Bobo Fing Figure Africa Ex J. Willis
Located in Point Richmond, CA
Powerful early cubist carved wood standing female figure from the Bobo-Fing of Burkina Faso, Africa. Created early 20th century. Ex private collection Texas, originally acquired from James Willis...
Category
Early 20th Century Liberian Tribal Masks
Materials
Wood
$3,150 Sale Price
30% Off
Baule Painted Ram Mask
Located in Chicago, IL
The Baule people of the Ivory Coast used ram masks in secular, public performances. Realistically carved, and wonderfully decorated, they were designed to draw attention and enhance ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Ivorian Tribal Masks
Materials
Wood
Antique Folk Art Papier Paper Mâché Mardi Gras Halloween Voodoo Costume Mask
Located in San Diego, CA
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...
Category
Early 20th Century Masks
Materials
Paper
$680 Sale Price
20% Off
Bwa Butterfly Mask, Africa
Located in Stockholm, SE
Stunning Butterfly Dance mask. Bwa, wich is the area that includes Mali and Burkina faso.
Carved wood. 20th century.
With a few flaws and repairs.
Category
20th Century Malian Masks
Materials
Wood
Japanese Wood Bugaku Mask of Korobase Edo Period
Located in Atlanta, GA
A striking Japanese carved wood mask with polychrome paint and lacquer surface. This rare mask is dated to the Edo period (first half of 19th century and possibly earlier). The mask ...
Category
19th Century Japanese Japonisme Antique Masks
Materials
Wood, Lacquer, Paint
Ceramic Mask, Accolay, France, 1960s
Located in Paris, FR
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 ...
Category
1960s French Vintage Masks
Materials
Ceramic
Very Important “Nwantantay” African Dance Mask
Located in San Pedro Garza Garcia, Nuevo Leon
Very important “Nwantamtay” dance African mask, consisting of three sections: The upper in plain rectangular shape surmounted by a crescent shape moon, the middle with beautiful geometric triangles in black bitumen and white kaolin, surrounding a red cruciform in the centre of remarkable contrasting colors, and the lower part or face inscribed in a circular space that inspired numbered great artists like Joan Miro, Picasso and Henry Moore of a very strongly solar symbolism, with a projecting protuberance emanating from the forehead like a sculpted bird beak, that descents toward the mouth. Concentric eyes harmonize with the circular mouth, both with of elegant proportions. The whole mask exudes a supreme harmony and perfect balance rarely seen in this pieces. The back-side presents nice ware that attested the ancient origin and traces of animistic ceremonies as the use of animal blood residues. The painting of brown bitumen or cola, the natural colorants in red and ocher tones and the white kaolin are original and do not show any repainted or restored areas, giving a freshness rarely seen in old pieces. This exceptional mask Bwa, of the Hound`e Region in Burkina-Fasso, was used it the transit ceremonies and funerals manifesting the presence of “Do”, name given to their God sons, protectors and powerful spirits. The round face also represents an owl, the curving beak of the bird plants a seed into the sun, like a female sexual vulva being fecundated by the male organ; the eternal symbol of Ying and Yang, masculine and feminine, and the quest of life and death. This mask of Primitive facture can be compared to the one in the celebrated Verite Collection (this one being larger) sold in Paris at the Hotel Drouot, Saturday June 17, Lot 59, for 80,000 Euros and remarkably stands out from the Pierre and Tannia Matisse sold in Sotheby’s, New York in May 13, 2011. Another similar piece was published in: “Arman et l’art africain...
Category
Early 20th Century Burkinabe Primitive Masks
Materials
Wood
African Salampasu Helmet Mask
Located in Astoria, NY
African Salampasu Helmet Mask, carved wood, copper, and raffia, together with metal stand. Mask: 25" H x 10.75" W x 9" D. Provenance: From a Sutton Place Estate.
Category
Early 20th Century Congolese Masks
Materials
Copper
$2,240 Sale Price
20% Off
Large Woven Painted Basketry Wall Mask Blackwater Rivers, Papua New Guinea
Located in Point Richmond, CA
Large woven painted basketry wall mask created in Blackwater Rivers area, Papua New Guinea. With open expressive mouth and mask fringed with feathers, striking mask that easily hang...
Category
Mid-20th Century Papua New Guinean Tribal Masks
Materials
Organic Material
$1,715 Sale Price
30% Off
A Kendo Mask
Bust Protection Japan 1930s
Located in HYÈRES, FR
A Kendo mask and bust protection.
Japan 1930s.
Very good patina.
In original good condition
Category
1930s Japanese Vintage Masks
Materials
Leather, Fabric, Rope, Wood
Geisha Wig
Nô Theater 1 Mask
Located in Paris, FR
Mask Geisha Wig & Nô Theater 1, with real natural hair Geisha wig
on head model and with Nô Theater white painted wood mask.
Measures: Base: 28,5 x...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Masks
Materials
Wood
Dan Mask from Ivory Coast, Africa, 1950
Located in NICE, FR
This very elegant Dan mask is well-proportioned with a long protruding mouth from Ivory Coast, Africa. It dates back to the 1950s. The base is included in the price.
Dan masks have...
Category
Mid-20th Century Ivorian Tribal Masks
Materials
Wood
$2,489 Sale Price
20% Off
Vintage Leather Mask
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Vintage Leather Mask
Italian, circa 1960, signed
Category
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Masks
Materials
Leather
Fiber Polychrome Mask Yam Ancestor Papua New Guinea
Located in Atlanta, GA
A well preserved Yam Ancestor mask professionally presented on a museum quality acrylic display stand. The mask was a classic tribal art piece from Abela...
Category
Mid-20th Century Papua New Guinean Tribal Masks
Materials
Natural Fiber, Acrylic
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
Set of Three, Vintage, French, Pierrot Boudoir Doll Faces from the 1920s
Located in Vienna, Austria
What a wonderful discovery, rare Pierrot doll faces from the 1920s . All three pieces are in very good condition with minor age related flaws. These fabri...
Category
1920s French Modern Vintage Masks
Materials
Textile
$1,053 Sale Price / set
26% Off
Iatmul People "Mei" Mask Sepik River New Guinea
Located in Bridgeport, CT
A large and powerfully carved Ceremonial Mask from New Guinea. In mineral paints with Cowrie Shell Eyes. Collected in Kaminabit, Middle Sepik Region, Papua New Guinea.
The Mei is t...
Category
20th Century Papua New Guinean Tribal Masks
Materials
Wood, Paint
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.