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Can anyone help identifying this 6" mask? It has a good deal of damage, but the balck and red paint seem to be original. Is this a Noh mask from Japan. Is there any way to determine its age and rarity?
Thnaks

At first glance one might think this mask to be a Japanese Noh mask, but it is not. It is most likely an Indonesian mask (the eyes give it away). It looks like it could be from the early 20th century, but it is really hard to say for sure. it could be even older or even newer. Part of the question is simply due to the fact that wood items like this from tropical regions often look older than they actually are (depending on the conditions they were kept in). I wish I could tell you more, but I am not as experienced with Indonesian masks as I am with Japanese masks. Anyway I hope this helps.

James

Thanks for your time James. The wood is soft as it will give if you push your fingernail into the back so I thought it might no be so old. Earlier wood things, regardless of where they were made, were usually made of harder woods.

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