Our gallery in Warsaw Old Town is open daily except holidays from 11.00 to 19.00 and it is our primary place of sale. Items are sold in the gallery at the same time — if something sells on site, we will let you know and refund you.
Chinese mahogany masks, first half of the 20th century.
Para wspaniałe wykonanych masek przedstawiających demony. Materiał : drewno mahoniowe, kość. Chiny I połowa XX wieku. Zakupione w antykwariacie w Pekinie w latach 60tych XX weku.
From €204.60
Ships within: 72 hours
Chińskie maski z mahoniu I połowa XX wieku.—
€204.60
Chinese mahogany masks dated to the first half of the 20th century. These are two masks depicting the same demon. Characteristic is its headdress, studded with jewels, and its beard, as this leads to clues in identifying the evil spirit. Most likely, the masks represent Yanluo Wang / Yama – the King of Hell. He is depicted precisely as a dignified, bearded man in imperial robes. His most important and key iconographic attribute is the official cap (called mianguan or putou), often richly decorated, studded with jewels and pearls. He is not a "demon" in the sense of a malicious being, but the supreme judge and administrator of the underworld. His role is to impartially judge the soul based on its deeds in life and direct it to the appropriate path (reward, reincarnation, or punishment). His fearsome, bearded face expresses the gravity and inevitability of judgment, and the jewel-studded cap symbolizes his highest official authority, power derived from heaven, and the wealth (in the sense of cosmic responsibility) of his kingdom.
