Demon mask "lakhe" ·  Nepal · ID: 3036816

Description

wood, encrusted blackish brown patina, red and white pigment, characteristic ferocious look: beetle-browed, large open mouth with fangs and the tongue stick out, headdress with drilled holes, mark on the forehead, slightly dam., missing parts (chin, right ear), cracks, abrasion of paint;
presumably depicting the demon “lakhe”. The “lakhe” dance is one of the most popular dances of Nepal. It goes back to a legend: “A town called Majipa is haunted by flesh-eating demons. One “lakhe” falls in love with a young girl in town and starts visiting the girl in human guise. But when he is captured, instead of punishing him, the king of Majipa offers him impunity and life with his lover if he promises to give up his carnivorous appetite and protect the children of Majipa.” Thus the once feared demon became protector of the people and is venerated by dances and sacrificial offerings up to nowadays.

Comparing literature

Petit, Marc, A masque découvert, Paris 1995, p. 249 Himalaya Masques, Suilly-la-Tour 2007, p. 61, ill. 36