AUTHENTIC TRADITIONAL THEATER MASK BALI RANGDA WITCH

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A TRADITIONAL RANGDA MASK, IN GREAT CONDITION: MASK WAS HANDCARVED AND HANDPAINTED AND HAS A LONG 38" MANE OF BUFFALO HAIR AND COMES WITH PAGES OF RESEARCH AND PHOTOS RELATED TO THE USE OF THESE MASKS AND THE DANCES THEY ARE USED FOR. Rangda is an important demon in Balinese mythology and frequently appears in several dances in Bali, Indonesia . Such a mask is used in the popular "Barong and Keris" shows. This mask was all hand-carved and hand-painted with great quality of detailing, long mane of buffalo hair, cloth, gilded details. A great collector piece. it is about 4 ft tall with the mane, probably more, i forgot to measure, i will when i return to the store. This mask is illustrated in the book “Masks from around the World” Queen of the leyaks and undoubtedly the most interesting' character on the island is the blood-thirsty, child-eating Rangda the witch-widow mistress of black magic. The character of Rangda has its origin in historical facts, now interwoven with fantastic myth which you will discover with the reserach that comes with the mask we are selling The natural world to the Balinese is one held in balance by two opposing forces: the benign, beneficial to man, and the malign, inimical to humanity. The destructive powers of sickness and death are associated with the latter force and the evil influence of black magic. If black magic prevails, a village is in danger and extensive purification ceremonies become necessary to restore a proper equilibrium for the health of the community. Dramatic art is also a mean of cleansing the village by strengthening its resistance to harmful forces through offerings, prayers and acts of exorcism. Such is the symbolic play of the two remarkable presences-the Barong and Rangda: The Barong, a mystical creature, with a long swayback and curved tail, represents the affirmative, the protector of mankind, the glory of the high sun, and the favorable spirits associated with the right and.white magic. She rules the evil spirits and witches who haunt the graveyards late at night. Her habitat is darkness and her specialities lie with the practice of black magic, the destructive force she relies on. The Barong is always her opponent in the plays, fights on behalf of the people agains tthe intruding death force of Rangda. Thus the essence of the Barong and Rangda’s play remains the eternal conflict of two cosmic forces symbolized in the two protagonists. Because the play is charged with sorcery and magic charms, extensive offerings are made beforehand to protect the players during the performance. In the plays the barong dances first, then after the Barong's dance, everyone falls silent. From behind the temple gate appear the splintery fingernails that fore shadow the dreadful vision of Rangda. From her mouth hangs a flaming tongue signifying her consuming fire and around her neck, a necklace of human entrails falls over her pendulous breasts. Howling a low gurgling curse, she stalks the Barong while waving a white cloth from w emmanates her overwhelming magic. They collide in a desperate clash of witchcraft. The"kris dancers", men armed with kris daggers come to the rescue. Our prices are started very low as we go straight to the source to find these treasures. We have many collector items available, rare pieces from around the world from antique to more recent, designer accents, precious textiles and textile hangers, gifts, rare antique prints, authentic signed paintings and sculptures available on a regular base in both our ebay auctions and buy it nows. Free shipping. shipping abroad is more, we reduce shipping on multiple purchases. To see pictures of our collection, go to this link below and scroll down till you get to the photos, t are a few pages of pictures & text for educational purposes that we were asked to place on this site and we add more weekly whenever we find time. You will find t photos of what we collect and sell on ebay regularely and the interesting stories behin... read more

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