Discovered, like the arts of Africa and Oceania, by artists and travelers, the carved masks born from the ancient Buddhist, Hindu and Shamanic traditions of the Himalayas have aroused only recently the interest of researchers and their significance precise remains unknown. The masks of Rai, Gurung, Magar and Tharu represent “clowns and gods, demons, fabulous animals and local deities; some are used by shamans, others for divination “(Chazot in Bradley and Chazot, Masks of the Himalayas , 1990).
“Creature half man, half bird … deep-seated square eyes evoke a skull. The skeletons are, in the Himalayan country, merry companions whose role, often reserved for young children, presents a propitiatory character “(Small, In the whites of the eyes, primitive Masks of Nepal , p.15). This mask, with exceptional quality, is distinguished by the minimalist modernity of its construction: the face cut flat and heart-shaped. Its prominence is accentuated by the faceted cut and the deep, icy patina, black soot and resin. It stands out as one of the most remarkable works of the archaic corpus of Himalayan masks, combining power and refinement, expressiveness and mystery.
Discovered, like the arts of Africa and Oceania, by artists and travelers, the sculpted masks born of the ancient Buddhist, Hindu and Shamanic traditions of the Himalayas only recently aroused the interest of researchers, and their specific significance remains unknown. The Rai, Gurung, Magar and Tharu masks represent “clowns and gods, demons, fabulous animals, and local deities, some of which are used by shamans, others for divination” (Chazot in Bradley and Chazot, Masks of the Himalayas, 1990).
“A half-man, half-bird creature […] its sunken square eyes evoke a skull.Skeletons, in Himalayan country, are merry companions whose role, often reserved for young children, presents a propitiatory character” (Small, In the white eyes, primitive Masks of Nepal, p.15). This mask of exceptional quality stands out for the minimalist modernity of its construction: a heart-shaped carved face on a flat plane. Its presence is amplified by the faceted carving and the deep, glazed patina made from black soot and resin. It stands out as one of the most remarkable pieces of the archaic corpus of Himalayan masks, combining power and refinement, expressiveness and mystery.
Details
- Title : Mask, Magar
- Year : 1990
- Classification : Mask
- Medium : Wood
- Dimension : 29 cm; 11 3/8 in
- Accession No : Lot 128
- Country/ Geo-location : Middle Hills Region, Nepal
- Culture : Buddhist, Hindu and Shamanic traditions of the Himalayas
- Collection : Sotheby’s
- Credit Line : Jean-Pierre Jernander Collection , Brussels Michel Boulanger Collection, Liège Alain Bovis, Paris Private Collection, Brussels, acquired in 2010 Stamp of red wax and "inv.
- Status : SOLD EUR 32,500. Estimated Eur 15,000 - 25,000. 12th Dec 2018, Paris
- EXHIBITED : Paris, Alain Bovis Gallery, Sets and Collections , September 2009
- LITERATURE : Bovis, Sets and Collections , 2009 Bovis, The Himalayan Tribal Art in Private Collections , 2018, No. 16