"Nô" theatre mask "hannya" ·  Japan · ID: 3042122

Description

light wood, dyed in white and brown, remains of red pigment, grotesquely distorted face with a huge snarling snout, the head carved with horns, metal eyes with pierced pupils, slightly dam., rest., abrasion of paint;
the “hannya” mask represents the classical devil mask, closely linked with the idea of a female demon. Nightmares, diseases, vice but above all jealousy are depicted in shape of the devils mask.
The “no” mask are called “no-men” or “omote” (= “face”). The traditional “no-theatre” came into being in the 14th century. In the course of time about 250 different mask types for the depiction of different characters have been developed. There are masks for women and men, monsters and demons, as well as masks for divinities. In most cases they were carved from the wood of japanese cypress. Traditional themes were taken from japanese mythology or literature.

The object “Nô” theatre mask “hannya” with the object ID 3042122 was part of the auction 86th Tribal Art Auction on May 27, 2017. The object with the lot number 82 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,500 with an asking price of EUR 500.

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

Perzynski, Friedrich, Japanische Masken, Zweiter Band, Berlin, Leipzig 1925, p. 110