Help with this tribal wood mask

Discussion in 'Tribal Art' started by vitry-le-francois, Jul 13, 2017.

  1. vitry-le-francois

    vitry-le-francois Well-Known Member

    The horns are real horn. Is this the real deal or a tourist piece? Any help would be appreciated!

    mask1.jpg mask2.jpg mask3.jpg mask4.jpg mask5.jpg mask6.jpg mask7.jpg
     
  2. Taupou

    Taupou Well-Known Member

    I'd call it a Guatemalan folk art mask, based on the distinctive way the eyes are painted. Probably made for sale, as a tourist piece or for collectors, but still made in a traditional way, depicting a Guatemalan devil mask, a popular image found in their masking tradition.
     
    anundverkaufen, all_fakes and komokwa like this.
  3. vitry-le-francois

    vitry-le-francois Well-Known Member

    Taupou, THANKS for the info :)
     
  4. all_fakes

    all_fakes Well-Known Member

    Yes, the eyes look Guatemalan to me also. Another distinguishing characteristic of masks made in Guatemala for tourist sale is a single hole in the forehead, which I don't see on yours. It is used for a single loop for hanging; Guatemala is the only place I've seen that one-hole hanging method.
    Yours does seem to have two small holes, near the horns, possibly used for a hanging loop.

    I found a comparable mask online; the seller describes it as "Fierce Guatemalan wooden dance mask with long horn; also used in Mexico Dance of the Devils." I note the eye treatment, the protruding tongue, and the real horns.

    fierce-guatemalan-wooden-dance-mask-with-long-horn-as-also-used-in-a4hfwe.jpg

    also similar, from Guatemala or Mexico:

    1839ff78e4a750a365a1d71e14dad807.jpg
     
    komokwa and anundverkaufen like this.
Draft saved Draft deleted
Similar Threads: Help tribal
Forum Title Date
Tribal Art Help with Tribal Beaded Sash Nov 11, 2023
Tribal Art Help Needed - identify bronze tribal ornaments Dec 30, 2021
Tribal Art Help with Bone necklace, Tribal or Artisan Jun 30, 2021
Tribal Art Please Help -Tribal African Art Statues Jun 9, 2021
Tribal Art Need help with tons of tribal masks May 11, 2021

Share This Page