Raksha Longo mask

Tsechu festival, Bhutan

23 inches, painted wood

These dances are held all over Bhutan in various forts (called Dzongs) and monasteries (Gompas) by monks at Tsechu’. There are about 18 Dzongs and many Monasteries, so there is a festival every month around the 10th of the Bhutanese Lunar Month in some part of Bhutan. Degye: The Dance of the Eight Kinds of Spirits (Costume: animal masks and knee-length yellow skirt) is one of several dances in which this mask would be used. This dance is about the eight types of spirits who are the masters of the three worlds: sky, earth and the underworld.

This large mask comes with embellishments to the small skull and a yellow cloth that can be tied between the two horns. I have shown it this way only on some of the photos. The tip of one horn is broken off, otherwise in new condition. Larger scans are available.

sold