Demonic mask for Balinese dance-drama performance (topeng)
Not on view
This wooden mask—topeng—of a demonic character belongs to a rarified genre of Balinese dance-drama in which masked male actors, richly costumed, perform episodes from local history plays (babad) and the Hindu epics. The sculptor has captured the character’s energy with great skill. The round bulging eyes, flared nostrils and grimacing mouth with exposed teeth all serve to identify this as a coarse and fearful character of demonic nature. In performance he would provide a dramatic counterpoint to the refined and cultured halus characters.
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