Antique Nuo Opera Female Mask, China (19220)

Description

The most representative regional Chinese masks are Nuo masks used in Nuo operas performed in towns and provincial villages in Southern China since antiquity. Their origins stem from spirit and ancestor worship and Taoism. Associated with ancient Nuo rituals, dances, and theater. they were primarily in rural areas in exorcism ceremonies to drive away evil spirits.

The most distinctive feature of Chinese Nuo Opera is its use of masks ranging from performances which might use a few dozen to 200 masks with distinctive facial features, decoration, regional and ethnic individuality, and aesthetic diversity. Made from poplar or willow, these woods are light, less likely to crack, and willow is said to ward off evil.

Nuo dramas present religious and cultural values and explore ancient cultural origins, the world of the gods and spirits, historical legends, and folktales. Performances may vary by region and include celebrated stories from popular literary works like Journey to the West. Considered both religious and cultural creations, they still are a ritual to exorcise malevolent spirits. Men mainly perform in Nuo operas but there are a few female roles indicated by the masks, gestures and voices.

This image likely portrays a zhengshen – one of the benevolent gods with a kind and honest nature and gentle disposition -symbolizing the great power of good to defeat evil. Female zhengshen are generally portrayed as “a beautiful and dignified young woman with a full, round face, arched eyebrows and a small cherry-like mouth shaped like a phoenix coronet… . characteristics …indicating that the image of an ordinary, pretty, young woman has been beautified corresponding to the ideal image of a kind-hearted figure like Buddha.” (Li) Here she is a smiling woman with a slender face, soft lips and delicate features with high arched eyebrows and smooth hair tied on the top of her head in an elaborate topknot resembling a hat.

Most Nuo masks are brightly painted, but the age and heavy use of this piece have resulted in paint losses. The different colored base coats under the reddish-brown indicate it probably repainted more than once long ago and reused. The crackle brownish-beige layer under the reddish-brown, and areas around eyes, mouth, nose, and the edges of the black hair reveal what must be the original first layer of white gesso. The lips were originally bright red, mostly now lost. Mask enthusiasts will appreciate the resulting layers of paint and lacquer which attest to its age and cultural use.

Passed down by families and troupes, Nuo Opera was especially popular during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Although operas are still performed in rural areas, there are few remaining troupes. The government in campaigns against superstition since 1949 destroyed almost all the antique masks within the country. (CITS) Based on their traditional value and scarcity, antique authentic Nuo masks are seen as treasures of Chinese folk art and are highly collected.

Sources

Lan Li, Popular Religion in Modern China: The New Role of Nuo, Ashgate Publisher, New York, 2015

Vijith Menon, Chinese Masks: History and Meaning, updated Feb 28, 2018,

Margaret E. Poggio, Wooden Tujia Masks for Nuo Opera in the Chinese Minority Nationalities” Art Gallery at the Shanghai Museum,

CITS, China International, Nuo Opera – Behind theMasks, www.cits.net

historyplex, Chinese Masks, History and Meaning,

History of Masks, History of Chinese Masks, historyofmasks.net