Material: Wood, paint, leather, bells
Style: Bali, Indonesia
Size:  Height of mask 32 cm (not including beard), Width 68  cm (ear to ear), Depth 27 cm
Order Number: MHSBKM1

The jaw opens.

“Sacred Barong Ket masks get special treatment. Only brahmana carvers are allowed to carve them and the work takes place in the temple. Men sleep in the temple at night guarding it and women present daily offerings during the whole process. The mask is the most important part of the Barong and it is carved and painted in a special raised pavilion. Once the mask is carved by the brahmana woodcarver, commoners from the sudra caste polish the surface with sandpaper.

The brahmana carver paints the first brush stroke and hands over to specially trained craftsmen, who use traditional paints. The Barong may have up to 150 coats of paint. It is gilded in parts and highly polished. The eyes are large and bulbous, ringed in red, black, yellow and white, the colours of the gods Brahma, Wisnu, Mahadewa and Iswara. The Barong’s penetrating gaze portrays mixed expressions of fury and fun.

The Barong’s beard is powerful, its black hair donated by a pre-pubescent girl. It can bring people out of trance, purify and cure. His inner mouth, lips and eyes are inscribed with magical signs and protective charms are attached to the back of his neck. A protrusion at the top of his head indicates Siwa’s thunderbolt.

As the mask and body are joined three ceremonies take place in the temple to bring the Barong to life. A further ceremony takes place in the cemetery around midnight. Only priests, the mask maker, senior craftsmen and principal headmen are allowed to attend the secret rituals. At about 2 am a flaming ball enters the Barong and the sky turns a luminescent purple. The ceremony is finished.

Angela Hobart in Healing Performances of Bali (2003) summarises the paradoxical nature of the Barong,

While male, he has female features, as evidenced by his beard made from the hair of a pre-menstruating girl. Created by humans, he is a vehicle of the supreme god—especially Siwa.”

From our book Secrets of Bali, Fresh Light on the Morning of the World

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Balinese Barong Ket Mask 1 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Wood, paint, hair, leather, bells
Style: Bali, Indonesia
Size:  Height of mask 38 cm, Width 70  cm, Depth 20 cm; Height of beard 38 cm
Order Number: MB39B

This is the highest quality of mask, using the best materials and painting numerous times – temple quality. The jaw opens.

“Sacred Barong Ket masks get special treatment. Only brahmana carvers are allowed to carve them and the work takes place in the temple. Men sleep in the temple at night guarding it and women present daily offerings during the whole process. The mask is the most important part of the Barong and it is carved and painted in a special raised pavilion. Once the mask is carved by the brahmana woodcarver, commoners from the sudra caste polish the surface with sandpaper.

The brahmana carver paints the first brush stroke and hands over to specially trained craftsmen, who use traditional paints. The Barong may have up to 150 coats of paint. It is gilded in parts and highly polished. The eyes are large and bulbous, ringed in red, black, yellow and white, the colours of the gods Brahma, Wisnu, Mahadewa and Iswara. The Barong’s penetrating gaze portrays mixed expressions of fury and fun.

The Barong’s beard is powerful, its black hair donated by a pre-pubescent girl. It can bring people out of trance, purify and cure. His inner mouth, lips and eyes are inscribed with magical signs and protective charms are attached to the back of his neck. A protrusion at the top of his head indicates Siwa’s thunderbolt.

As the mask and body are joined three ceremonies take place in the temple to bring the Barong to life. A further ceremony takes place in the cemetery around midnight. Only priests, the mask maker, senior craftsmen and principal headmen are allowed to attend the secret rituals. At about 2 am a flaming ball enters the Barong and the sky turns a luminescent purple. The ceremony is finished.

Angela Hobart in Healing Performances of Bali (2003) summarises the paradoxical nature of the Barong,

While male, he has female features, as evidenced by his beard made from the hair of a pre-menstruating girl. Created by humans, he is a vehicle of the supreme god—especially Siwa.”

From our book Secrets of Bali, Fresh Light on the Morning of the World

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Balinese Barong Ket Mask 2 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Wood, paint
Style: Bali
Size: Height 28.5cm, Width 21 cm
Order Number: MHSMB2

Barong Landung is the name given to 2 giant puppets, one male, the other female. They parade in the streets at Balinese New Year and the big festival of Galungan. They have a special kind of singing and flirt with each other.

The female is called Jero Luh (female person). She has a white mask, overhanging forehead, slanting eyes, enigmatic smile and protruding chin. She is refined and disdainful and has the bearing of an English maiden aunt.

The male is called Jero Gede. He has a huge black mask, with large, white, prominent teeth, very red lips, and tusks. His shining, black cheeks budge. He’s like a comic drunk.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Barong Landung: Jero Gede appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Wood, paint
Style: Bali
Size: Length 30 cm, Height 23 cm
Order Number: MHSMB1

Barong Landung is the name given to 2 giant puppets, one male, the other female. They parade in the streets at Balinese New Year and the big festival of Galungan. They have a special kind of singing and flirt with each other.

The female is called Jero Luh (female person). She has a white mask, overhanging forehead, slanting eyes, enigmatic smile and protruding chin. She is refined and disdainful and has the bearing of an English maiden aunt.

The male is called Jero Gede. He has a huge black mask, with large, white, prominent teeth, very red lips, and tusks. His shining, black cheeks budge. He’s like a comic drunk.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Barong Landung: Jero Luh appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Wood, paint, hair
Style: Bali
Size: Width 14 cm, Height 18 cm, Depth 10 cm
Order Number: MB72A

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Clown Mask appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Wood, paint
Style: Bali
Size: Height 18 cm, width 13 cm
Order Number: MB8A

Carved and signed by Ida Bagus Anom, the internationally recognized wood carver, mask and puppet maker, dancer and puppeteer.

Anom’s creations are deeply embedded in Balinese spiritual and cultural traditions. He adhered to sacred protocols, viewing masks not merely as artistic expressions but as vessels imbued with spiritual significance. His work often featured characters from traditional Topeng performances.

In addition to being a mask maker, Anom was a masked dancer and shadow puppeteer. His family has lived in the same compound in Bali for about 500 years, practising these traditional Balinese arts.

Anom learned mask making and masked dancing from his uncle and the art of shadow puppetry from his father, both of whom were well-known artists in Bali, and represented the ninth generation of mask makers  in his family .

“I put 40 coats of paint on my masks,” Anom  used to say. “I’ll sandpaper them, put 20 coats on, then sandpaper them again and put another 20 coats on. All of my masks are made from pule, a wood that’s light so the masks won’t be heavy when you put them your face.”

Anom has made masks on commission for drama director Peter Brooke, actor Terence Stark, and Danish drama teacher Peere Brahee and other international performers and directors.

He crafted masks for the Women’s Art Festival in North Carolina in the 1991.

Anom’s masks have been exhibited in the Art Center Denpasar in 1970, in Gianyar in 1985 and at Gedung Pola in Jakarta in 1977.

Photographs of his work have appeared in magazines, including Brutus, January 1990, Tribune Des Uns and Des Autres, 26 April 1989 and Travel and Leisure, July 1987.

In 1989, Anom was featured in National Geographic’s documentary “Bali: Masterpiece of the Gods,” highlighting his pivotal role in preserving Balinese cultural heritage. 

Anon’s masks are in the collection of the Santa Fe Folk Art Museum in New Mexico, and he was a participant in the exhibition Bali: Art, Ritual and Performance at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco in 2011. It was at this exhibition that Anom discovered, to his surprise, wood carvings made by his grandfather.

There is a permanent display at the San Francisco Exploratorium. 

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Comedian carved and signed by Ida Bagus Anom appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Wood, paint
Style: Bali, Indonesia
Size:  Height 51 cm, Width 16.5  cm
Order Number: MHSBM1

About 60-70 years.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post God appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Wood, paint
Style: Bali
Size: Width 13 cm, Height 18 cm
Order Number: MB19

Carved and signed by Ida Bagus Anom, the internationally recognized wood carver, mask and puppet maker, dancer and puppeteer.

Anom’s creations are deeply embedded in Balinese spiritual and cultural traditions. He adhered to sacred protocols, viewing masks not merely as artistic expressions but as vessels imbued with spiritual significance. His work often featured characters from traditional Topeng performances.

In addition to being a mask maker, Anom was a masked dancer and shadow puppeteer. His family has lived in the same compound in Bali for about 500 years, practising these traditional Balinese arts.

Anom learned mask making and masked dancing from his uncle and the art of shadow puppetry from his father, both of whom were well-known artists in Bali, and represented the ninth generation of mask makers  in his family .

“I put 40 coats of paint on my masks,” Anom  used to say. “I’ll sandpaper them, put 20 coats on, then sandpaper them again and put another 20 coats on. All of my masks are made from pule, a wood that’s light so the masks won’t be heavy when you put them your face.”

Anom has made masks on commission for drama director Peter Brooke, actor Terence Stark, and Danish drama teacher Peere Brahee and other international performers and directors.

He crafted masks for the Women’s Art Festival in North Carolina in the 1991.

Anom’s masks have been exhibited in the Art Center Denpasar in 1970, in Gianyar in 1985 and at Gedung Pola in Jakarta in 1977.

Photographs of his work have appeared in magazines, including Brutus, January 1990, Tribune Des Uns and Des Autres, 26 April 1989 and Travel and Leisure, July 1987.

In 1989, Anom was featured in National Geographic’s documentary “Bali: Masterpiece of the Gods,” highlighting his pivotal role in preserving Balinese cultural heritage. 

Anon’s masks are in the collection of the Santa Fe Folk Art Museum in New Mexico, and he was a participant in the exhibition Bali: Art, Ritual and Performance at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco in 2011. It was at this exhibition that Anom discovered, to his surprise, wood carvings made by his grandfather.

There is a permanent display at the San Francisco Exploratorium. 

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Happy Person carved and signed by Ida Bagus Anom appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Wood, paint, hair
Style: Bali, Indonesia
Size:  Height 17 cm, Width 12  cm
Order Number: MB39A

The Jauk dances solo. He has long fingernails, a black moustache, bulging eyes and open mouth with teeth showing. The pale face indicates this Jauk’s sweet, good character.

Carved and signed by Ida Bagus Anom, the internationally recognized wood carver, mask and puppet maker, dancer and puppeteer.

Anom’s creations are deeply embedded in Balinese spiritual and cultural traditions. He adhered to sacred protocols, viewing masks not merely as artistic expressions but as vessels imbued with spiritual significance. His work often featured characters from traditional Topeng performances.

In addition to being a mask maker, Anom was a masked dancer and shadow puppeteer. His family has lived in the same compound in Bali for about 500 years, practising these traditional Balinese arts.

Anom learned mask making and masked dancing from his uncle and the art of shadow puppetry from his father, both of whom were well-known artists in Bali, and represented the ninth generation of mask makers  in his family .

“I put 40 coats of paint on my masks,” Anom  used to say. “I’ll sandpaper them, put 20 coats on, then sandpaper them again and put another 20 coats on. All of my masks are made from pule, a wood that’s light so the masks won’t be heavy when you put them your face.”

Anom has made masks on commission for drama director Peter Brooke, actor Terence Stark, and Danish drama teacher Peere Brahee and other international performers and directors.

He crafted masks for the Women’s Art Festival in North Carolina in the 1991.

Anom’s masks have been exhibited in the Art Center Denpasar in 1970, in Gianyar in 1985 and at Gedung Pola in Jakarta in 1977.

Photographs of his work have appeared in magazines, including Brutus, January 1990, Tribune Des Uns and Des Autres, 26 April 1989 and Travel and Leisure, July 1987.

In 1989, Anom was featured in National Geographic’s documentary “Bali: Masterpiece of the Gods,” highlighting his pivotal role in preserving Balinese cultural heritage. 

Anon’s masks are in the collection of the Santa Fe Folk Art Museum in New Mexico, and he was a participant in the exhibition Bali: Art, Ritual and Performance at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco in 2011. It was at this exhibition that Anom discovered, to his surprise, wood carvings made by his grandfather.

There is a permanent display at the San Francisco Exploratorium. 

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Jauk carved and signed by Ida Bagus Anom appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Wood, paint, hair
Style: Bali
Size: Width 41 cm (ear to ear), Height 20 cm, Depth 21 cm
Order Number: MB77

The story is that Tjoepak was born hideous looking and with a similar character because his mother took magic mushrooms. Tjoepak was living in exile in the forest of Wanasaba when a supernatural voice told him to go and help the king, whose kingdom was being plagued by a monstrous bird, Paksi Garuda, which had to have a human being as its food every day.

Tjoepak went to the market and heard from one of the women that the king was in despair because the bird wanted to eat his daughter that very day. Tjoepak went to the king and promised to kill the bird if the king gave him his daughter as his wife. The king agreed.

Tjoepak had a great hole dug and climbed down into it and surrounded it with soldiers armed with spears and lances. The bird came and swooped down on Tjoepak and was at once attacked and killed by the soldiers with their spears. Tjoepak cut off the bird’s head and brought it to the king and received his award.

A great wedding was held and despite his appearance the princess lived happily and gave birth to twins.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Paksi: Bird Mask appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Wood, paint
Style: Bali
Size: Width 13 cm, Height 27 cm
Order Number: MB50A

Carved and signed by Ida Bagus Anom, the internationally recognized wood carver, mask and puppet maker, dancer and puppeteer.

Anom’s creations are deeply embedded in Balinese spiritual and cultural traditions. He adhered to sacred protocols, viewing masks not merely as artistic expressions but as vessels imbued with spiritual significance. His work often featured characters from traditional Topeng performances.

In addition to being a mask maker, Anom was a masked dancer and shadow puppeteer. His family has lived in the same compound in Bali for about 500 years, practising these traditional Balinese arts.

Anom learned mask making and masked dancing from his uncle and the art of shadow puppetry from his father, both of whom were well-known artists in Bali, and represented the ninth generation of mask makers  in his family .

“I put 40 coats of paint on my masks,” Anom  used to say. “I’ll sandpaper them, put 20 coats on, then sandpaper them again and put another 20 coats on. All of my masks are made from pule, a wood that’s light so the masks won’t be heavy when you put them your face.”

Anom has made masks on commission for drama director Peter Brooke, actor Terence Stark, and Danish drama teacher Peere Brahee and other international performers and directors.

He crafted masks for the Women’s Art Festival in North Carolina in the 1991.

Anom’s masks have been exhibited in the Art Center Denpasar in 1970, in Gianyar in 1985 and at Gedung Pola in Jakarta in 1977.

Photographs of his work have appeared in magazines, including Brutus, January 1990, Tribune Des Uns and Des Autres, 26 April 1989 and Travel and Leisure, July 1987.

In 1989, Anom was featured in National Geographic’s documentary “Bali: Masterpiece of the Gods,” highlighting his pivotal role in preserving Balinese cultural heritage. 

Anon’s masks are in the collection of the Santa Fe Folk Art Museum in New Mexico, and he was a participant in the exhibition Bali: Art, Ritual and Performance at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco in 2011. It was at this exhibition that Anom discovered, to his surprise, wood carvings made by his grandfather.

There is a permanent display at the San Francisco Exploratorium. 

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Pertiwi, Goddess of the Earth carved and signed by Ida Bagus Anom appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Wood, paint
Style: Bali, Indonesia
Size: Width 16 cm, Height 15 cm
Order Number: MB39A

Sandarans dance elegantly, like butterflies, in the Barong dance. The pink face indicates a sweet character.

Carved and signed by Ida Bagus Anom, the internationally recognized wood carver, mask and puppet maker, dancer and puppeteer.

Anom’s creations are deeply embedded in Balinese spiritual and cultural traditions. He adhered to sacred protocols, viewing masks not merely as artistic expressions but as vessels imbued with spiritual significance. His work often featured characters from traditional Topeng performances.

In addition to being a mask maker, Anom was a masked dancer and shadow puppeteer. His family has lived in the same compound in Bali for about 500 years, practising these traditional Balinese arts.

Anom learned mask making and masked dancing from his uncle and the art of shadow puppetry from his father, both of whom were well-known artists in Bali, and represented the ninth generation of mask makers  in his family .

“I put 40 coats of paint on my masks,” Anom  used to say. “I’ll sandpaper them, put 20 coats on, then sandpaper them again and put another 20 coats on. All of my masks are made from pule, a wood that’s light so the masks won’t be heavy when you put them your face.”

Anom has made masks on commission for drama director Peter Brooke, actor Terence Stark, and Danish drama teacher Peere Brahee and other international performers and directors.

He crafted masks for the Women’s Art Festival in North Carolina in the 1991.

Anom’s masks have been exhibited in the Art Center Denpasar in 1970, in Gianyar in 1985 and at Gedung Pola in Jakarta in 1977.

Photographs of his work have appeared in magazines, including Brutus, January 1990, Tribune Des Uns and Des Autres, 26 April 1989 and Travel and Leisure, July 1987.

In 1989, Anom was featured in National Geographic’s documentary “Bali: Masterpiece of the Gods,” highlighting his pivotal role in preserving Balinese cultural heritage. 

Anon’s masks are in the collection of the Santa Fe Folk Art Museum in New Mexico, and he was a participant in the exhibition Bali: Art, Ritual and Performance at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco in 2011. It was at this exhibition that Anom discovered, to his surprise, wood carvings made by his grandfather.

There is a permanent display at the San Francisco Exploratorium. 

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Sandaran carved and signed by Ida Bagus Anom appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Wood, paint, hair
Style: Bali
Size: Width 14 cm, Height 14 cm, Depth 8 cm
Order Number: MB74

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Wijil the Clown Mask appeared first on Murni's in Bali.