BHUTAN - Lot 219

BHUTAN A pair of Khroda masks carved from wood and painted; one is reddish in color, the other green, with bulging eyes—one with pupils inlaid with Silver plated metal—and an open mouth featuring long fangs, bushy eyebrows resembling flames, a third eye on the forehead, and a tiara adorned with kapala encircling the skull. H. 28 and 26.5 cm. Export wax seals. Bases. Provenance: - Private collection, Belgium In the context of Vajrayāna Buddhism, this pair of ritual masks represents wrathful deities, or Krodha, whose terrifying iconography does not embody evil, but rather a protective power intended to destroy ignorance and subdue negative forces. Carved from polychrome wood according to codified aesthetic standards, these pieces served as anthropomorphic artifacts during the Tsam (‘cham’), a choreographed and meditative theatrical liturgy performed by Buddhist monks during monastic festivals. The tiara of skulls (kapala) serves as a symbol of the impermanence of the ego. Brought out for the festival, these masks are preserved between rituals in the Gönkhang (chapel of the protectors). It is rare today to find these masks in pairs, as these ritual sets have almost always been separated and sold individually over time.

Estimate:$11,204.61

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