A BRONZE BHUTA MASK IN THE FORM OF A PANJURLI BHUTA (BOAR SPIRIT DEITY), TULU NADU, 18TH-19TH CENTURY

South India, Karnataka or Kerala. Finely cast to depict the head of a boar spirit with large almond-shaped eyes, neatly incised lashes, and bow-shaped brows, the ears erect and tongue extended, decorated with a raised band flanked by lines of circles running down the center of the face, the neck framed with a band of palmette motifs, encircled by thirteen skillfully modeled petals.

Provenance: French trade. A private collection in Vienna, Austria, acquired from the above.
Condition: Very good condition with old wear, traces of use, manufacturing irregularities, small nicks, light scratches, and minor dents. The bronze with a fine, naturally grown patina.

Weight: 3,579 g
Dimensions: Length 20 cm

This mask in the form of a boar’s head was created in the southwestern coastal region of Tulu Nadu (in the modern Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka state and Kasaragod district of Kerala state), for ritual use in dance festivals propitiating and honoring the local tutelary spirit deities (bhuta), where costumed mediums invoke the spirits whilst wearing the masks on their faces or holding them in their hands. Through songs, dances and stories they solve problems and give advice to family and village groups.

Hundreds of these elaborate community celebrations, called Dharmanema festivals, are held every year between February and May to venerate the regional pantheon of over 350 spirit deities.

The boar spirit deity Panjurli, one of the most powerful and important Genii Loci, is said to be borne of the forest and is thus particularly revered in this lush tropical region. He is also responsible for upholding righteousness through his identification as a manifestation of Vishnu, the supreme Hindu god of preservation and social order. This religious correlation is expressed by Panjurli’s visual similarity to Varaha, the boar-headed avatar of Vishnu. Dancers' headpieces and masks are fashioned in a wide variety of iconographic forms and local artistic styles. They are typically quite large in size, and made in one of three primary media: wood, papier-mâché, and bronze.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Near identical
Auction: Bonhams London, 4 October 2011, lot 283
Price: GBP 1,250 or approx. EUR 2,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A brass boar's head bhuta Mask, India, Karnataka, Tulu Nadu Region 18th/19th century
Expert remark: Note the similar remnants of pigment and size (21 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 18 September 2013, lot 246
Price: USD 16,250 or approx. EUR 20,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A brass bhuta mask of a boar, South India, Karnataka, 18^th/19^th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and subject. Note the different size (42.6 cm).