Asian Mask, 1930s

Awesome Asian wooden mask with a powerful expressiveness and a huge decorative power. This is quite an antique piece: it was made in the South of Asia in the around 1930 and has survived to our days in good condition. The mask is carved on a thick solid wooden block: at the back of the piece, the gap designed to fit the face in is carved by hand and shows the marks of the adze in its sides and bottom. The mask bears a lovely handmade polychrome too, a nice colorful work that enhances its beauty. This piece depicts a mans face with an angry look, bearing an Asian-style hat (probably Thai) and embellished with facial paint. The eyes are big and bulging; this is probably intended to provide the person who wears the mask with maximum expressiveness. The face also has slim black eyebrows, thick lips and a moustache; in the center of the forehead we can see a yellow, white and red adorn. All the features are finely carved in the wood; the paint is intended to enhance their presence. The hat that decorates the top of the mask is composed of several levels, as if it were inspired in a stepped temple. The lower part has a yellow and red painted fringe with some triangular shapes painted in a soft turquoise green. Over it, the rest of the levels get narrower so the hat shows a curious pyramidal shape. In general, this mask is a real work of art with a balanced and appealing design, full of historic and aesthetic interest. Every lover of Oriental art and exotic antiques will find an exclusive piece in this lovely polychrome mask. Measurements: Height: 20.47 in / 52 cm. Width: 9.8 in / 25 cm.