Mask ·  Nepal, Magar, Middle Hills · ID: 3032606

Description

wood, dark brown patina, red and white pigment remains, oval form with open mouth and visible teeth, beard, brows and coiffure made from animal hair, min. dam., slight traces of abrasion;
the West Magar or Kham Magar are spread all over the Middle Hills, from Mahabharata to the High Himalaya. Shamanic practices are still alive among the Magar, they reveal the important role of the shaman who may accompany souls to the underworlds of disease and death. But unfortunately there is only little known about the relation between shamans and the masks. According to a Nepalese informant there existed a category of masks sculpted in the memory of the ancestor which has disappeared. Some masks are said to represent demons, others are clowns.

The object Mask with the object ID 3032606 was last part of the auction 69th tribal art auction at June 2, 2012 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 11.

You can find more Masks and other popular object types on our related topic pages. You may also be interested in our page on Asian art.

Comparing literature

Chazot, Eric, Masks of the Himalayas, New York 1990, p. 20