10th Apr, 2025 11:00
TWO-DAY AUCTION: Fine Asian Art, Buddhism and Hinduism
55
A GILT-COPPER ALLOY CEREMONIAL WAR MASK, MONGOLIA, 17TH-18TH CENTURY OR EARLIER
Sold for €9,750
including Buyer's Premium
The repoussé mask of square form, with almond-shaped cutouts for the eyes below gently arched eyebrows, a prominent nose, and large open mouth. The surface with small indentations from hammering and covered overall in gilt. With two apertures at the top and each cheek for suspension.
Provenance: From a private estate in Versailles, France.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, small nicks, few scratches, little dents, and minor rubbing to the gilt. The interior with little flaking to the varnish. Fine patina overall.
Weight: 276 g (excl. stand), 1 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 22.5 cm (excl. stand), 38.7 cm (incl. stand)
Mounted to a modern stand. (2)
War masks made of metal, usually iron or copper alloys, and intended specifically as armor, existed in many cultures for nearly 2,000 years, from Roman Britain in the 1st century AD to Japan up to the end of the Edo period in the late 19th century. They were probably introduced into Tibet by the Mongols by the fourteenth century and were used in Central Asia and West Asia until at least the sixteenth century.
Literature comparison:
Compare an iron and gilt antetype of the present war mask, attributed to Mongolia or Tibet and dated to 12th-14th century, and a related Tibetan iron war mask, dated 14th-16th century, both in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object numbers 2007.10 and 2022.430, respectively.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 19 March 2013, lot 403
Price: USD 40,000 or approx. EUR 53,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A repoussé gilt copper Kalachakra dancer’s mask, Tibet, 18th century
Expert remark: Compare the related technique, period, material, and gilding. Note the similar size (23.2 cm).
The repoussé mask of square form, with almond-shaped cutouts for the eyes below gently arched eyebrows, a prominent nose, and large open mouth. The surface with small indentations from hammering and covered overall in gilt. With two apertures at the top and each cheek for suspension.
Provenance: From a private estate in Versailles, France.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, small nicks, few scratches, little dents, and minor rubbing to the gilt. The interior with little flaking to the varnish. Fine patina overall.
Weight: 276 g (excl. stand), 1 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 22.5 cm (excl. stand), 38.7 cm (incl. stand)
Mounted to a modern stand. (2)
War masks made of metal, usually iron or copper alloys, and intended specifically as armor, existed in many cultures for nearly 2,000 years, from Roman Britain in the 1st century AD to Japan up to the end of the Edo period in the late 19th century. They were probably introduced into Tibet by the Mongols by the fourteenth century and were used in Central Asia and West Asia until at least the sixteenth century.
Literature comparison:
Compare an iron and gilt antetype of the present war mask, attributed to Mongolia or Tibet and dated to 12th-14th century, and a related Tibetan iron war mask, dated 14th-16th century, both in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object numbers 2007.10 and 2022.430, respectively.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 19 March 2013, lot 403
Price: USD 40,000 or approx. EUR 53,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A repoussé gilt copper Kalachakra dancer’s mask, Tibet, 18th century
Expert remark: Compare the related technique, period, material, and gilding. Note the similar size (23.2 cm).
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