Raksasa : Barongan Topeng, Antique Ceremonial Mask
7.5" High x 7" Wide x 16.5" Deep
Raksasa is an antique ceremonial mask or topeng from the villages of Java.
The dance dramas performed on Java probably originated in ancient rituals honoring the ancestors and the deities of planting and harvest. Later, Hindu and Islamic religious beliefs added to the richness of the ceremonial stories.
Even today predominantly in Moslem Java, the high, cold, Dieng Plateau is a sacred place and in the villages, trance dances are performed with a variety of animal masks. The topeng is held over a fire to draw the spirit of the animal into it and to bring the dancer under its power. This is a barongan mask representing orge-type characters.
Raksasa is a rare puppet mask that is unhinged over time. He has a metal tongue.
Handcarved in Indonesia
