mask

Magasinet - En etnografisk skattkammare Magasinet - X X02 Sri Lanka Ceylon Mask av trä. Name and identification of character A bear, valaha or valas (Sin.). Context An animal character in the story portion in Kolam. The dance of the bear is also enacted as a solo dance (cf. Höpfner, 1969:76). The bear mask is used in several contexts. In Kolam it represents an animal, in Sanni one of the Pali demons (vide Preface), and it represents the Great Demon of the graveyards as a part of the Tovil sequence (vide Preface). Material Wood, vel-kaduru (Sin.) (Nux vomica). Iconography The snout is similar to that of a wild boar. It is bluish grey in colour. The shape of the mouth suggests that the animal is on the prowl. The ears are raised and stretches sideways in the shape of shrivelled leaf-cups. The four canine teeth are sharp and sabre-like. The gums are red. Whiskers are painted under the chin. The presence of a third eye at the top of the forehead is a strange feature of the mask. 2000 06 07 Dr. M. H. Goonatilleka The Magazine - X X02 Sri Lanka Ceylon 1916.09.0191 1916.09.0191 Magasinet - En etnografisk skattkammare Magasinet - X X02 Sri Lanka Ceylon