$84.00

Antique Balinese half mask of carved and painted wood, with moustache and eyebrows of hide on which a few hairs remain.  The simple style, painted wrinkles and few teeth (a second tooth has broken off) suggest the mask may have represented a theatrical character of an elderly peasant.  An interesting feature, though partly concealed by the moustache, is the shape of the upper lip, which seems to indicate a cleft palate or "hare-lip."  The masked dances or topeng are performed by non-speaking dancers accompanied by spoken narration; the narrators wear this type of penasar, or half-mask, in order to speak, while the dancers wear full-face masks.  The rich storytelling typically touches on many aspects of the human condition in a combination of tragedy and comedy, mythology and local gossip, ugly caricature and elegant beauty.

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Current Stock:
Weight:
0.13 LBS
Width:
5.50 (in)
Height:
5.50 (in)
Depth:
2.00 (in)