Antique Nepalese wooden mask

Masks such as this beautiful example are used by animist tribes all over Nepal and parts of Tibet. Looking at the style of this mask and the materials that have been used, this mask most likely comes from a tribe in Western Nepal.

Masks like this are used for protection; they are hung in houses near doors or windows to protect the house and family against malevolent spirits and diseases. They are the houses of benevolent spirits such as the family's ancestors and are regularly fed with offerings of ghee or wodka and the smoke of incense. Sometimes they are worn by village shamans during ritual or healing ceremonies.

This item is in very good condition. It is made from wood which has been treated with natural pigments to attain a beautiful dark color, which has deepened over the years with the patina of ageing. Residue of old paint decorations and symbols can be seen on it, among which is a trident symbol on the forehead.

This handcarved mask is approximately 15 centimeters wide, 26 centimeters high and 13 centimeters deep. 

The exact age of this mask is hard to say, but it can roughly be determined somewhere around the middle of the 20th century, or maybe even a little bit earlier.

Unique item, only one available.