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XIX th Century wood carving frame - Musashi - Jul 02, 2014 (05:06 AM)
- XIX th Century wood carving frame - Tim - Jul 06, 2014 (05:23 PM)
  - Re: XIX th Century wood carving frame - Musashi - Jul 07, 2014 (07:59 AM)
  - Re: XIX th Century wood carving frame - Musashi - Jul 07, 2014 (09:11 AM)
    - Re: XIX th Century wood carving frame - Tim - Jul 08, 2014 (09:05 PM)

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Subject:XIX th Century wood carving frame
Posted By: Musashi Wed, Jul 02, 2014 IP: 178.51.210.220

Greetings everyone,

I recently bought this XIXth Century frame with a carved demon/ spirit in its center made of Asian Ebony Wood. I suspect its origin might be Japanese, maybe Indonesian (altho not really sure about this regarding its style).

Does anyone knows maybe its origin or the deity it represents?

Thank you in advance!

Subject:XIX th Century wood carving frame
Posted By: Tim Sun, Jul 06, 2014

It is an interesting looking item, but aside from being in the form of a mask, there doesn't seem to be anything Japanese or Asian about this piece.

I suspect this is a 'fantasy' decoration combining elements of demon horns, lion mouth, and human face.
The frame design looks nothing of frames made during the 19th c. in Asian, Europe, or America.

I suspect quite modern.

Subject:Re: XIX th Century wood carving frame
Posted By: Musashi Mon, Jul 07, 2014

Thank you Tim, for your feedback and opinion.

Well... I tempt to agree with your opinion, this is why I started this post to get several different opinions etc...

I'm currently waiting for the curator of Far eastern collections of Brussels Royal Museum to get back to me after her analysis and I will be fixed for sure.

The other opinion is that the frame might have been added a few decades ago but that the mask MIGHT be actually original, I will know the final verdict in the up coming days.

Nevertheless, even if proven fake it is an interesting and beautiful piece of decoration (in the worse of cases that is).

Subject:Re: XIX th Century wood carving frame
Posted By: Musashi Mon, Jul 07, 2014

I received the result of the expertise both curators from The Royal Museums of Brussels; the mask is original, a rare mask of Nô, but the frame is a modern addition (probably to sell a piece like this and make it more appealing for the Western market. The frame was most likely added during the seventies. Well, now I am fixed and know what's going on, still happy about the whole piece tho.

Subject:Re: XIX th Century wood carving frame
Posted By: Tim Tue, Jul 08, 2014

That is exciting news, but not to sound skeptical, but I'm not sure how one can authenticate a mask without seeing the inside as well as the outside carving - impossible to do while it is currently mounted.