~ Detail Photos ~

This is a great old mask from the Rai people of Nepal's mid-eastern middle hills area.  It has a wonderful anatomical form that is somewhat difficult to capture in photos. The natural shape of the face and the glossy patina when coupled with the inherent presence of the mask make this a highly desirable piece. Condition is generally good but there is an indigenous repair to the masks left cheek, made with wire in an effort to lend support to a crack on that side.  There is also a break on that same side on the edge of the mask.  Please see the detail photos.  Apparently the mask had eye brows at one time, but these are also gone now.  Despite these ways in which time has taken a toll on this mask... it remains a fantastic example of the middle hills mask and is one of those pieces with much of that tangible but difficult to define power, that we might term "juju", if we can borrow a word from the African tradition that many are familiar with and can understand.