Product Description
Balinese Barong Ket Mask 2 SOLD
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).
