Bali was originally an animist culture that became Hindu when it was incorporated into the Majapahit Empire in the 14th century. The Balinese are amazingly skillful artists, craftsmen and musicians. They create brilliant masks and woodcarvings. Visitors to Bali are surprised by the decorative and beautiful details they create using perishable materials such as fruit, banana leaves, rattan, rice, flowers, plants, and other readily available tropical materials to decorate temples, shrines, paths, rice fields and more. Balinese crafting skills have been handed down through generations for centuries and are taught to children at an early age. Their music and dance are world famous, very complicated and seamlessly accompanies a large variety of dramas, mask dances and other dance performances. Balinese dance masks called topeng (literally, pressed against the face) are considered to be “tenget”(endowed with magic). Every Balinese village has a collection of dance masks used in performances as offerings to please the gods and require prayers and rituals with a priest.
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This mask is patih keras, a strong king’s prime minister in orange symbolizing a tough, intense and powerful person reinforced by his large bulging eyes, powerful stare, red lips and full black moustache. Personally collected in Bali in the 1970s, this beautifully carved mask is in excellent condition with a wash applied on the back to make it look older.
This fine, deeply carved and painted Balinese mask is the king’s strong prime minister (patih keras), a position of prestige usually filled by warriors of the second Hindu (ksatrya) caste. The large bulging eyes increase the power of his stare and the outsized thick bright red lips symbolize his intensity. This mask was personally collected in Bali in the 1970s and is in excellent condition with minor hair loss on the eyebrows.
This fine vintage historical ethnic Balinese mask is Kebo Taruna. the powerful Balinese minister (patih) feared by Gaja Mada the brilliant Javanese “Elephant General” who brought the Indonesian Hindu Majapahit Empire to its peak and conquered Bali in 1343. His peculiar half-smile, forceful eyes and angular nose are carved to complement his intense expression, make it look more forceful and add energy to the mask. These features describe the minister’s power and confidence. Finely carved and embellished with animal hide and hair for his mustache and eyebrows, this mask is in excellent condition.
Click here for the blog Indonesian Dance Masks (Topeng): Spiritually Connecting the Community
This traditional but unusual mask (topeng) of Rangda was a rare toy or was used to teach children Balinese lore and religious and artistic expression. It has wonderfully carved upper fangs, bulging eyes and protruding teeth and, as a personification of evil Rangda, who leads an evil army that instills anxiety and fear. This mask is in very good condition considering its age and use.
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