nice mask

The florid headdress in this mask distinguishes the personification of a Janger dancer. Performed in Bali since the 1920's, the Janger was considered a "dance craze" performed by groups of 12 men and 12 women. The dance begins with everybody sitting down, and as the women sway from side to side, the men perform aggressive movements while chanting kecak. Eventually they all stand up to dance in couples. Nyoman Naranata celebrates the legendary dance with a vivid mask that is hand-carved from hibiscus wood.

Hibiscus wood exhibits colors ranging from white to light gray, dark gray or even black heartwood. This natural occurrence can rarely be replicated, making each carving exceptionally unique. Please expect slight differences in wood grain color and distribution patterns. Theme and artistic quality remain the same.

Barong appears in this fascinating wall sculpture from Eka. Also known as Bhoma, he represents the goodness that destroyed the evil Rangda. His adventures are reenacted in the form of a dance and his image is also hung on doors in Bali to ward off evil spirits.

The smooth grain of hibiscus wood highlights even contours in a playful mask by Made Tresna. This whimsical image portrays a person who succumbs to a huge, satisfying yawn.

Courage and fearlessness are captured in this simian mask, inspired by the heroic warriors that helped Rama to free Sita. The Ramayana inspires Nyoman Indrawati Subrata of the Subrata Family to hand-carve this mask from suar wood, its ornate splendor imbued with myriad well-tended details.

A whimsical illusion pertaining to the theater world, this handcarved mask expresses happiness and sorrow with equal ease. An avid carver by tradition, Wayan Rendah works the crocodile wood with absolute finesse to create polarized sentiments with minimal detail. Rendah's shaping of the eyes becomes the key to this illusion, certain to impress the admirers of the handcrafting traditions.