18th C. Indian Leaded Bronze Bhuta Mask of Jumadi

South Asia, India, ca. 18th to 19th century. A stunning cast-leaded bronze mask known as a Bhuta mask, which is Sanskrit for "spirit" or "passed away" and is used when referring to the ancestor cult that is practiced in the Tulu Nadu area of south coast Karnataka. This vizard possibly depicts the god Jumadi, an androgynous deity worshipped in the Buta Kola folk tradition. Of a hemispherical form, the eccentric visage presents a pair of enormous almond-shaped eyes encompassed by zigzag eyelashes, petite openwork pupils, a triangular nose with delineated nostrils, a lengthy moustache that curves upwards at both ends, and a huge open-mouthed grin bearing a top row of tab-like teeth and an enormous extended tongue. An elaborate headdress sits above his prominent striped unibrow and pig-like ears featuring a crown of seven large petaloid and four spire-form embellishments behind a row of smaller bronze petals and a beaded headband with a vertical strand at its center dividing the top of the head. Size: 14" W x 15.25" H (35.6 cm x 38.7 cm); 18" H (45.7 cm) on included custom stand.

A crescent and a circle sit on either side of the vertical strand. Each end of the headdress is decorated with an intricate, floral ornament. There is a thick loop at the top of the verso to suspend this mask for display. Bhuta ceremonies involve interactions between an oracle who embodies the invoked spirit and the worshipping audience.

A brass bhuta mask of a boar sold for $16,250 at Christie's - 17 September 2013 - lot 246. According to the lot essay, "This type of mask is used during bhuta worship, practiced in the coastal region of Karnataka. Bhutas are celestial or ancestral spirits that are represented by hundreds of different forms . . . During an all-night festival, the mask is worn by a trained medium who invites the bhuta to possess him. He then sings, dances, tells stories, gives advice and solves problems for the sponsoring family or village group."

Provenance: ex-private Hawaii, USA collection, 1980s

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#150946
Condition Report: Two collection labels on verso and one on base. Missing tops of a few petaloid embellishments and ear ornaments, as well as part of ear. Otherwise, excellent with rich patina and lovely earthen deposits.