Raksasa : Barongan Topeng
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 for the deities of planting and harvest. Later, Hindu and Islamic religious beliefs added to the richness of the ceremonial stories.
Even today on predominantly Moslem Java, the high, cold, Dieng Plateau is a scared 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 it's 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 tonque.
Handcarved in Indonesia