Male Noh Mask

18th Century
Polychrome pigment and gesso over wood
Japan
20cm x 15cm

Wooden Noh Mask, the face is painted white, his upright hair black and his red lips open to reveal blacked teeth. Noh is the classical theatre of Japan, which codified in the 14th Century under the father and son actors Kan’ami and Zeami under the patronage of the Shogun (supreme military leader) Ashikaga Yoshimitsu; the plays frequently utilise mask and the actors wear robes. Masks of this character are used to portray sorrowful demons in plays such as Nomori and Ukai. The mask was carved from thick piece of wood to which a thin layer of gesso has been applied. Most of the pronounced features have been created through the initial carving, and the gofun acts mostly as the medium to which the white painting of the face has been applied.