Bali masks for temples and decorations
on the wall
The village of Mas is famous for its amazing Bali masks and other woodcarving. The streets of this little village are filled with small art shops and this is the place to get the best deal on any work of art.
Work of art? OK I have to say there are couple of dubious pieces but it will suit somebody….one day ;-)
Just as paintings and other art forms Bali masks were solely produced for sacred dances in the temples. The Balinese are masters in creating masks since it's learned from father to son for generations.
Mask carver 'undagi tapel' in Mas
Today the masks are still worn during temple dances where the Balinese teach each other epic stories of their Hindu religion, the celebration of the various stages of life, the rice planting and harvesting season and the victory of good over evil.
The Balinese believe that everything has a soul: the rain, the winds, a rock and even a mask.
The mask carver is called the ‘undagi tapel’ and those who make the mask for the temple has to be a member of the Brahman case since he knows the required rituals involved with making a sacred mask.
With the arrival of tourism in the 1960’s foreigners started to show interest in the masks as a way to decorate their walls back home and from that point a new line of business was born.
Various Bali masks for sale
The Balinese don’t keep their sacred masks on the wall though but place them in cotton bags, strapped in the temple complex.
When you walk around Mas you’ll find many craftsmen working on a mask or a wooden statue where they use over 30 different tools to carve out the wood. They often use mahogany, suar, crocodile and sono wood.
There are four types of Bali masks found in most of the shops, which are human masks, animal masks, god mask and demon masks and they could be whole masks or half masks depending on the dance.
The most famous dances in which they use sacred masks are the Topeng dances and the Barong dances.
Demon masks used in a Barong dance
The Topeng mask dance teaches the audience stories of kings and noble men. Depending on the various masks used, these stories are often humorous or have a moral twist to it.
The Barong dance is a fight between good, the Barong, and evil, Rangda the witch.
Both these two dances are worth to take a look at. The Topeng masks are only used by men who wear several masks during a performance.
They use whole masks to depict noblemen and the king and they use half-masks for clowns or other humorous characters.
Topeng humorous disease mask
They even have funny Bali masks which portray diseases so the Balinese can tone down these diseases.
There are several types of barong masks, some portray pigs, while others look like lions and buffalos.
The Barong ketket mask is the most popular one and has a funny looking expression on his face with his big nostrils, eyes and ears.
The Rangda mask has a huge tong, sharp fangs, bulging eyes and a devilish look.
A sacred barong mask and a monkey mask
A sacred Barong or Rangda mask can cost hundreds of dollars and takes around 4 months to make.
The costume accompanying the Barong mask or Rangda mask can cost several thousands and everybody in the community will contribute to get the outfit produced.
These masks cost so much because of the time it takes to produce one and the materials used such as goat skin, buffalo and horse hair, boar’s teeth and the sanding process. Only natural colors are used with up to 150 coatings.
A tourist mask takes around 2 months to make and is far cheaper because it uses modern colors with only a couple of layers of paint.
Rangda the witch mask and costume
So when you’re in Mas have a look in the art shops and talk to the wood carver, he can show you exactly how he makes his statues and the various Bali masks.
Don’t forget to follow some of the small alleys where you’ll be surprised about what you can buy.
They can wrap it up for you and if you feel like buying the whole shop, they can even put it in a sea freight container for you...you won’t be the first one ;-)
