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17. Monkey Mask Monpa, Arunachal Pradesh 18th-19th c. wood |
This is a fine and highly patinated Monpa mask, of diminutive size, portraying a monkey, from a Buddhist tale in dance, perhaps the Cham dance cycle of the Torgya festival in the winter in Mon Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh. The Monpa mask making tradition is one of the oldest and most sophisticated of the Himalayas. Detail: view from the right Detail: view from the back |