88-c - NEPAL, Kathmandu Valley—15th century

NEPAL, Kathmandu Valley—15th century Fragmentary mask made of repoussé copper, with almond-shaped eyes pierced by round pupils and sinuous eyebrows framing a tika on the forehead. (Missing parts). H. 17 cm. Base. References: - BEGUIN, Gilles; TOFFIN, Gérard, *The Newar Art of the Kathmandu Valley*, p. 32. - Exhibited in “Facing the Gods: Ritual Masks of the Himalayas,” Smithsonian Institution, 1989–1991, Lawrence Hultberg and Eric Chazot, A remarkable feature of Newar masked dance traditions lies in their ability to bring together members from different castes of society around a single ritual practice. The mask-making process itself involved numerous artisans, ranging from goldsmiths and metalworkers of the higher castes to painters from lower-caste communities, while the dancers came from various social groups, notably Buddhists from Patan, Jyapu peasants, and the Ranjitakara—traditionally dyers—associated with the Lakhe dances in Kathmandu. Although very old, our mask is part of this same tradition of Newar ritual dances. The loss of its polychrome paint and lacquer decoration now reveals the purity of its forms. The face, regular and balanced, is characterized by broad, rounded cheeks that frame a wide, straight nose. The almond-shaped eyes, pierced by round pupils, lend the mask a silent, contemplative presence, allowing the work’s original expressive power to shine through beneath the marks of time.