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Rare XL Antique 1930s Hindu Indian India N. Maharashtra "Nasik" Mask! Vibrant!

$6,490List Price

About the Item

1930s era Indian (India), culturally used folk-art wooden mask. Ethnographic - this piece has been culturally danced and worn over many years. There is evidence of thick patina that is glazed around the upper edge of the mask, lower sides and the chin area. Interestingly - if you've ever seen one of these culturally danced, they are usually just grasped at their sides by the wear's hands and just kept in place that way... however almost as frequently you'll spot one resting on top of the wearer's head making it nearly impossible to make out the mask. This one has several annual repairs made to it (e.g. more than a couple of layers of paints); this is especially pronounced at the tip of the nose and at the top-center of the crown area. Several large cracks in the mask that are reinforced by 5-6 large, steel, staples; this mask was likely damaged in transit to/from an annual festival yet was so beloved by its people that it deserved a repair to make more performances. From the region of India called the Northern Maharashtra (Nasik) area...which is approximately 200 kms from the center of modern day Mumbai. Several tribes inhabit this area such as the Kokna / Kukna / Kukana tribes Masks from this region tend to be a bit more chunky and rough than say from a typical Konkan mask. Most masks like these are danced during an annual tribal festival... in the early spring. Usually there are several nights of dancing and performances. Several different tribes of the area gather together for this event and with this it has acted as a precious time whereby peers end up finding their future spouses often at events like these. Sadly - Due to declining interesting and imposed law-restrictions, the practice of this annual dance have stopped in recent years. Several years ago the police had to deal with so many altercations at the annual event that they had put a stop-order on the event in subsequent years. Many of these dances have now been added to UNESCO's Intangible cultural assets list in 2008. These are truly the vanishing faces... there are only a few remaining mask carvers that remain in practice today, selling masks as decoration. Many of these take over a week to make and include the use of costly paints. It's incredibly difficult to locate older masks like these... many of the newer ones do not have as much craftsmanship or flare. Indian continues to be the least documented mask-cultures for some reason which is a shame The Island of Sri Lanka sits right below S. India.. the influences are clear here. It's also deeply carved, and over-sized as many masks from Sri Lanka typically are. An interesting solar tilak (mark) is painted on the forehead of a double-strike line. Bright, beautiful, and cosmetically stunning Some of the original twine remains and some bent nails; newer, coated-wire added for hanging.

Dimensions:
Height: 15 in (38.1 cm)Width: 10 in (25.4 cm)Depth: 8.5 in (21.59 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Other,Hand-Carved
Place of Origin:
India
Period:
Early 20th Century
Date of Manufacture:
1930
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Brunswick, ME
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU6081226519562

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