Featured Grotesque Carved Antique Wooden Mask. Age and Origin, anyone ???

Hello !
In my ongoing hunt for Asian porcelain, I recently came across (and purchased !) this somewhat gruesome carved mask.

It measures about 17 x 12 cm and is carved from a single piece of wood. It was presumably used as a mask, as there are fine slits carved under the 'eyeballs' of the mask.
I'm no expert, but under a glass, the mask appears to have genuine age to it, as opposed to being a more recent tourist piece. As to origin, I would guess at SE Asia, but as I say, I've really got no idea.

Any help as to origin and age will be most appreciated !!!

 

Indonesian I think...
@Any Jewelry for identification!

 

It will be best to show more photos of the back.
From what I can see, I'm not convinced it's antique.

 

Definitely Indonesian, probably depicting Hanuman, the monkey king. Any Jewelry will have more to say.

 

Agree re unlikely to be truly antique.

Debora

 

Beautiful mask, Stiftgasse. It's a yes to Indonesian, from the cultural triad Java, Madura, Bali.
Wayang topeng, or mask theatre/dance was invented in Madura, but is now performed more in Java and Bali.

As to the character, the absence of an actual nose with nostrils is probably a sign.
The only character without a nose that I can think of is the frog, but a frog mask has dimples for nostrils, and no teeth or fangs. Your mask has no dimples, and it has a complete set of teeth and fangs.
But there are thousands of masks, every village and town in Java and Bali has its own set, portrayed according to its own traditions.

Working title could be Barong, ancient (pre-Hindu) Lord of the forest animals and champion of the Good. As such he can take on the shape of any wild animal, or a combination of animals. He is best known for his lion manifestation.
But that is just a working title, and it may not be what the mask represents.

If I were you, I would ask these people:
https://masksoftheworld.com/category/bali_java/
Contact:
https://masksoftheworld.com/is-your-mask-rare-and-valuable/

Will you let us know what they say?

 

Sniped.

Debora

 

Okay - done !!!
I'll let you know if and when I get a response from these people. Thank you indeed for the tip !!

 

Im following this with interest.I think its beautiful too.Im also interested in the age.To me,it looks fairly old but Im often wrong.

 

I’m not saying it wasn’t used as a mask but I don’t think eye slits point towards it being used that way. The cheapest wall plaque versions of masks might not have them but likely most tourist intended masks do have eye openings. As far as I’ve seen at least.

 

the key to a dance mask being worn, and danced....is the back of the mask and how it is hollowed out to fit the face...not the front...
not all have eye holes...whatever type........but the ALL gotta fit !!

 

Some masks are also worn higher up, on the forehead, or even on top of the head, with a semi-transparent textile or strands of some kind of natural material covering the face below.

I don't see anything wrong with this mask, I think it is beautiful, and I would have taken it home too.

 

Additional pic, as requested !!

 

This is not a photo of the entire back. It's not looking very old to me at all.
But I cannot see the chin area. So far, I think it's a good job of "antiquing" it.

 

I'm going to have to agree with that..

 

@15Stiftgasse

Why do you think this is an antique?
EDIT : How did it come into your possession please?

 

Because of the apparent wear and aging of the features of the mask, I assumed that it had a certain 'age' to it. Antique, or perhaps at least 'vintage'.
I recently purchased it on line.

 

the paint loss wear and rubbing are in the wrong places..

 

I've been overthinking it too much, and limited reading skills don't help either. So after an attempt at a re-read, I came across @2manybooks reply, and after checking every Hanuman in the house (why didn't I do that before?) I too think it could be Hanuman.
Of my five Balinese Hanumans, two are without proper nostrils, the others have complete noses.
A complete mask would have painted and/or gilded leather on the sides. In this case, because it only has rudimentary ears, the full Hanuman ears would probably be attached to the leather.

As far as age, it is difficult to find antique masks for sale. There are some in Dutch and Indonesian collections. There are also very old temple masks that are regularly re-painted and re-gilded, so they don't show any age.
'Antiqueing' of Sundanese Wayang puppets began in the early 1950s, and I assume Bali followed soon after.

Personally I don't think a Javanese, Madurese or Balinese mask needs to be antique. It is the esthetics, the artistry and the symbolism that counts. For those reasons I would have bought this mask, if I had come across it. It is so much better than so many Indonesian masks offered for sale, and I love that elegant curving of the 'lips'.
I would give it a clean though. A lot of what looks like aging, is actually gunk.
A mask has to 'speak' to me. Recently I bid on a stunning, recently made, Balinese mask, but didn't win it. Bidding went through the roof, and rightly so.

 

Agreed. I just pointed this out because @15Stiftgasse said it was "Antique" and I doubt that to be a fact.