Antique/Vintage Mask of a Comical Character, Bali (1266WCE) $395

Description

Balinese masks (tapel in Bali, topeng in Java), are said to have existed since the 10th century and often are danced in serious stories with important moral, ethical, historical and philosophical ideas, especially when they come from Hindu sacred texts like ancient epics the Ramayana, the Mahabharata or the Babad Dalem, the Chronicles of the Balinese Kings, which are somewhat limited in the way they can be expressed. Much more freedom and improvisation is allowed in masks called bondres which may also be a half mask that allows speech. These are worn by clowns, buffoons, fun-loving jokesters, or attendants to central characters who may stutter, have infirmities and provide comic relief and slapstick humor engaging the crowd in a didactic yet rowdy presentation. Bondres is the most popular and beloved Balinese mask type improvised by actor-dancers who include local gossip, break normal conventions and keep onlookers laughing. In the last few decades in Bali, bondres performances have become a wholly separate dance type that continues to gain in popularity. This is carved from local soft pulai  wood that is easy to carve and resistant to cracking. They are fine examples of ethnic and folk-art, and is part of the Hindu-Cultural- and-Ritual art collection.