Lot 54
Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Bali, ca. 20th century CE. A wonderful ensemble of wooden masks known as topeng, each depicting a dramatic visage. Three feature red skin: one of a female with flowers in her hair, one of a male with a moustache and coiffure of braided goat hair, and the third androgynous with a huge smile and curling cheeks and eyebrows. Alternatively, the 4th has beige skin with a sloping nose, an elaborate bindi, and a tiara. Topeng is a traditional dance enacted in Bali and Java that depict traditional stories of kings, princes, heroes, and myths. Barongs purify and protect the community and the dances probably originated in ancient rituals honoring the ancestors and deities and later Hindu-Buddhist and Islamic beliefs were added into these ceremonial stories. Size (all about the same): 6.1" W x 8.1" H (15.5 cm x 20.6 cm)
Topeng masks traditionally have been worn during the dramatic dances enacted in Bali and to a lesser extent Java that depict traditional stories of kings, princes, heroes, and myths. In these dances, the entire story is performed by only four or five actors playing all the parts, both male and female. As a result, each actors will have around forty masks like this one; there is believed to be a special bond between actor and mask and it is said that when the actor dons the mask, he enters a kind of trance, connected to the spiritual world. The Topeng dance originated in the 17th century, and the word "topeng" literally means mask in Indonesian.
Provenance: private Constance McCormick Fearing estate, Montecito, California, USA, acquired before 2004
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#181077
- Condition: Stable hairline fissure to bottom of smiling mask, and expected nicks and abrasions to all. Otherwise, all are very nice with good remaining pigments and rich patina. All have suspension wires on verso for display. Old inscriptions on verso of beige-skinned and mustached mask.
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