As defined by the International Museum of Folk Art, folk art encompasses a broad range of forms – dance, song, poetry, and foods as well as art. It is handmade; traditional, reflecting shared cultural aesthetics and social issues which may change over time; and is of, by and for the people inclusive of class, status, culture, ethnicity, gender, and religion. It may be for community use or for sale as income or empowerment; learned formally, informally, or self-taught. It can be decorative or utilitarian used for daily, ritual or ceremonial purposes.
Showing 61–72 of 92 results
Influenced by Islam for centuries, Javanese theater in Indonesia is stylized, didactic and full of central characters said to be cultural and historic icons of morality. Mask drama theater (Topeng Wayang) in Java is dominated by the conservative central Javanese palace courts (kraton) of Surakarta, Solo and Jogjakarta (Yogyakarta) which have long supported mask makers,…
Xiwangmu is the most important and first female deity in the Taoist pantheon, identified by a single phoenix in her headdress. This unique antique carving is a puppet head or an attachment to a larger figure where her headdress has three phoenixes instead of her iconic single phoenix. Beautifully carved with a rich patina, it is mounted on a lucite stand.
This rare, vintage spirit mask is from Timor in Indonesia. Their animism is characterized by ritual exchanges between individuals or social groups with ancestral and fertility spirits having a close reciprocal link between the deceased and the secular world as ancestors require sustenance, respect and attention (i.e. offerings), while humans seek advice, good fortune, health…
This delightful doll mounted on a frosted acrylic stand is dressed as a bearded official wearing a traditional ‘spread-wing” official’s hat. Originally mounted on a wood stick seen under his attire, he wears a dark blue and gold robe with a loose black, red and silver official’s belt and boots. Although dressed as a Chinese official, he is clearly an entertainer. He holds a set of paper clappers (Kuaiban)– meaning “fast boards,” a two-millennia old Chinese castanets-like instrument made of bamboo or wood slats tied together which entertainers rattle, shake, or clap together to produce a complementary sound or beat. This piece is in excellent condition with expected signs of wear and use in the clothing and minor paint losses.
This vintage Ibeji portrays a simple yet strong elegance with his characteristic large conical head, long curved neck and elaborately striated hairstyle. His extremely large round bulging eyes under heavy lids, flaring nose, full lips, and large flat ears reflect the Yoruba idealized form of beauty and exemplify being a correct and upstanding example of tribal values. His prominent genitalia and buttocks and his sturdy vertical stance on wide feet, thick legs and strong rounded shoulders and arms symbolize his strength and fertility. He wears a necklace with traditional Yoruba blue and multi colored beadwork. This vintage statue is finely carved with a smooth patina.
This Dalem is a traditional folk-art and ethnic mask (topeng) from Bali made from pulai wood of a Hindu king (Dalem). He stares directly at the viewer while his high cheeks help express his poise and the ability to remain cool in a crisis. This is a fine example of a gifted carver able to…
Deeply carved rows of black hair atop the horse’s head form a carved pattern framed by the upward-pointed ears that emphasize the horse’s alertness. Wonderfully modeled with flowing forms, this carving demonstrates the gifts of Tibetan woodcarvers. One can only imagine how important horses are to Tibetans living on “the roof of the world.” Without…
This charming Balinese mask is a traditional female Dayu, an ethnic Balinese high-caste Hindu Brahman Woman. This beautiful carving is too large to be a traditional dance mask , it is a beautiful decorative piece. Presented as a charming and beautiful woman from the top Hindu caste, she has delicate, detailed and sensitive features, that are superbly and subtlety carved. It is presented on a museum quality metal stand.
The culture, rituals, tribal and ethnic art of the Dayak (Dyak) of Kalimantan (Borneo), Indonesia is a mix of shamanism, animism and ancestor worship. Dyak festival masks worn on the face or large ones attached to a costume repel malicious spirits from entering communal spaces, insure village safety, protect babies in their carriers and defend…
This doll is a Chinese opera dancer whose costume decorated with 5-petal plum blossom on the sash symbolizing longevity and, with its 5 petals, a wish for the Five Blessings or Happinesses: prosperity, long life, health, living a virtuous life and dying a natural death.
This charmingChinese Nuo Opera dancer wears a costume decorated with 5-petal plum blossoms symbolizing longevity and a wish for the Five Blessings or Happinesses: prosperity, long life, health, living a virtuous life and dying a natural death.
This very fine and very beautiful vintage woodcarving of Dewi Sri , Devi Sri or Sridevi in Java, the Balinese Hindu goddess of rice and prosperity, is in excellent condition considering it is a much used vintage piece. Personally collected in Bali in the 1970s, it reflects the offerings made to Dewi Sri placed in the rice fields to protect the rice harvest. She is depicted here as a young, attractive and fertile woman wearing a striking, highly detailed and decorative headdress similar to those worn in Balinese dances leaving her upper forehead bare and framing her oval face with high curved eyebrows, wide-open eyes and beautiful pursed lips. With its flat back it can be mounted on a wall.
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