Three Indonesian Ceremonial Dance Masks

First half 20th century, (3) likely Balinese a polychrome painted and carved wood dragon/lion form masks representing Barongs (Banaspati Raja "King of the Forest") made for ceremonial dances (Kunti Sraya), to include: a dragon mask with a metal tongue, movable jaws, cloth straps to posterior, now mounted on a stand; a dragon mask with applied pink straw and fur, moveable jaws; and a small lion mask, all unmarked.

Tallest 24 3/4 in.

From the Estate of the late Susan C. Frankenberg, Hillsborough, North Carolina

The Barong is a mythical beast that purifies and protects the village in Balinese culture. Masks representing the Barong are created as a sacred object of worship and usually kept in a temple. A Barong mask can take the form of a lion-like creature (most masks representing the Barong in this form are erroneous in their description of the form as a lion as there are no wild lions in Bali; however because they resemble a lion, they are often described as such), a tiger, boar, bull, deer, or an amalgamation of any of these. The ket is the chief of all barongs and acts as a potent protector against the harmful influence of ghosts on the village. Barong masks are taken out to perform dances and ceremonies on major holidays, most notably the Kunti Sraya, or Barong Dance. The dance recreates a battle between good (represented by the Barong and its followers) and evil (represented by the goddess of death, Rangda, and her followers).

The two dragon form masks with insect damage, splintering to wood, and rusting to metal joints; the lion mask with paint and gilt loss, crack to jaw.