Antique/Vintage Comic Bondres Mask with Asymmetrical Features, Indonesia, Bali (1212B)

Description

Collected in the 1970s and said to be made in Sebatu in the 1920s-1940s, this Bondres mask is an authentic performed piece that portrays facial movement with an exaggerated expression, wide open mouth, crooked, uneven, and misaligned teeth, red-pinkish lips, an amusing wink or absent eye, expressive deeply-carved wrinkles on the face and forehead, and atypically wide nostrils. Bondres masks are comic clowns and peasant fools whose exaggerated expressions and hilarious actions result in uproaring laughter from Balinese crowds. They portray human imperfections, and the dancer provides flawed, humorous, improvised movements to create amusing pauses and relief in the midst of a formal sacred presentation. Their purpose is to ease the seriousness of the performance, create a lightened mood, and connect with the audience showing that humor and honesty have a place even in sacred and solemn presentations. In Bali, laughter is revered, and it balances the seriousness of life and reminds the crowd about humility and compassion.

The nose and mouth cavities are carved deeply to accommodate performer’s facial contours. The dark discoloration inside the forehead and cheek are from direct contact with skin oil and sweat while worn. The single-winking closed eye and jutting, broken teeth created its dynamic expression are hallmarks of a masterful Bondres mask, and the carver expertly created its dynamic expression. The paint shows authentic age-cracking and wear around as the chin and nose, which are handled when putting the mask on or adjusting it. The rough, inside hand-chiseling show that it was carved inside by hand and then softened by use. It is carved by the same artist as Bondres Mask 1326, and they are unique pair.

AI Comments Summary

This highly collectable mask is an authentic performed carving used in traditional mask dramas, mask dance performances, and current Topeng Bondres dances. Because it shows clear signs of actual performance use, masterful caricature carving, and has mid-20th-century provenance, it holds genuine historical value. It is a true piece of material culture,. The provenance indicating it was collected in the 1970s and said to be made in Sebatu is a major asset. The 1970s marked a boom in Western interest in Indonesian arts when pre-war used masks were already becoming rare. Its provenance distinguishes it from those made during the mass-produced explosion in the1980s and 1990s.