**Originally Listed At $400**

Central Asia, Nepal, Thakuri Tribe, ca. 19th to early 20th century CE. Hand-carved from wood, an expressive mask featuring an elongated, ovoid visage with petite openwork eyes, a slender nose, delineated nostrils, and a curved mouth. The temples are pierced for suspension. The Himalayan masking tradition is not as well-known as those from Africa or Southeastern Asia, and today some of the original information has been lost due to fading oral traditions. Masks like this one relate to indigenous, animist traditions that developed in the harsh, wild environment of the Himalayas, and so they are often representations of local spirits. They were made to be worn in masquerades, glimpsed through light from lamps burning butter as oil. Size: 6" W x 9.1" H (15.2 cm x 23.1 cm)

Provenance: ex-private Bishop Family Trust collection, the Trust of the late Bill Bishop, a noted antiquarian with shops in Scottsdale, Arizona and Allenspark, Colorado, USA, acquired before 2010

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#172928

Some light surface wear with chipping to peripheries and a few stable hairline fissures as shown. Otherwise, intact and very nice with rich patina. Modern suspension wire on verso.