Traditional Masks of the World
Mask↕ | Culture↕ | Country↕ | Material↕ | Purpose↕ | Known For↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bauta | Venetian Carnival | Italy | Painted papier-mache or porcelain | Anonymity at balls and public events | Square jawed full-face mask allowing wearer to eat and speak, worn with tricorn hat and cape |
| Noh Mask (Ko-omote) | Noh Theatre | Japan | Carved hinoki cypress | Classical theatre performance | Young woman mask that appears to change expression with head angle, carved by dedicated mask makers |
| Dogon Kanaga | Dogon | Mali | Wood with white, black and red pigments | Dama funeral ceremony | Tall double-cross superstructure representing the creator god, worn in masked dances on rooftops |
| Barong | Balinese Hindu | Indonesia | Carved wood with leather, hair, mirrors | Battle of good vs evil (Rangda) | Lion-like protector of Bali, sacred mask requiring priestly rituals, performed in daily temple dances |
| Tlingit Transformation Mask | Tlingit / Kwakwaka'wakw | Canada (Pacific Northwest) | Red cedar with pigments | Clan crest reveal at potlatches | Hinged masks that open mid-dance to reveal a second face inside, animal transforming into human |
| Bhuta Mask | Tulu Nadu | India (Karnataka) | Wood or metal, painted | Spirit possession rituals | Worn by performers channeling local deities in Bhuta Kola ceremonies, bulging eyes and fangs |
| Fang Ngil | Fang | Gabon | Wood with white kaolin clay | Judicial secret society | Elongated white heart-shaped face, used at night to identify wrongdoers, inspired Picasso's cubism |
| Hahoe Byeolsingut Tal | Korean folk | South Korea | Carved alder wood | Satirical mask dance drama | Oldest surviving masks in Korea from 12th century, movable jaws, aristocrat and monk characters |
| Xipe Totec | Aztec | Mexico | Originally flayed human skin worn over the face | Spring renewal ritual | God of renewal and agriculture, priests wore skins for 20 days symbolizing new vegetation |
| Tibetan Cham Mask | Tibetan Buddhist | Tibet / Nepal / Bhutan | Papier-mache with lacquer and gold | Monastic dance ceremonies | Wrathful protector deities, monks perform cham dances to exorcise evil and teach karma |
| Guro Zamble | Guro | Ivory Coast | Carved wood with pigments | Masquerade entertainment | Antelope-crocodile hybrid, elegant curving horns, considered among finest African carving |
| Topeng Mask | Javanese / Balinese | Indonesia | Carved pule wood painted with tempera | Storytelling dance drama | Used in Topeng dance theatre retelling historical chronicles, solo dancer plays many characters |
| Medico della Peste | Italian plague doctors | Italy | White painted leather or papier-mache | Originally protective, now carnival wear | Long beak stuffed with herbs believed to filter miasma, became iconic Venice carnival mask |
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