Dreams Less Sweet Antiques

Description

Beautifully carved and hand-painted lacquered Cypress wood (Hinoki) Japanese Zō-onna Noh Theatre Mask.

Late 19th Century, Meiji period.

A finely carved and high quality Zō-onna Noh Mask.

Characterfully carved and painted, the mask comes alive with personality and presence.

Very good period condition with lovely aged colour and patina. No damage. Minor stains.

H: 21 cm x W: 14 cm.

In Noh theatre, the Zō-onna mask represents a slightly older woman of composed demeanour. Her features are neat, and her hairline is rendered with great precision. The edges of her mouth are slightly downturned, giving her a slightly sorrowful look, and her teeth are black. A mask of sublime and sacred aura, Zō-onna appears often in roles such as goddesses, bodhisattvas and celestial maidens.

Evolving under shogunate patronage from the 14th century, Noh theatre became an exclusive samurai pastime. In the Tokugawa period (1603 – 1868), commoners were forbidden to see it. Performed by male actors wearing masks, Noh dramas fall into five categories, plays about gods, women, insanity, revenge and demons.

Noh features lavish costumes and exquisitely fashioned wooden masks. The masks are designed and crafted with great subtlety. They can appear to dramatically transform simply from the alterations of light and shadow as the actors move their heads. The pace is hypnotically slow, but the movement delivers great dramatic power.

Noh masks are carved from a single piece of wood painted with natural pigments. The mask represents age, gender and social ranking of human or nonhuman beings like animals, demons or divine creatures. The Noh mask is used to emphasise and stylise the facial expressions which are accompanied with adequate body language and movement in order to stimulate the imagination of Noh play audiences.