mask (dance & live theatre)

Small carved wooden clown mask, with a pouting mouth amd a small, flattish nose, from which two deep grooves swing round beneath, encircling the whole of the lower two thirds of the face. One eye is open, one is closed. The open pupil is red. There is a small bump above the bridge of the nose, with a groove carved above it. There are two holes on the inside of the mask where a strap would have been attached, which the wearer would have gripped with his teeth. The mask is painted brown. Paint has rubbed away around the edge of the mouth. There is evidence of historic insect damage.

Collection Information

These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.

The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.

If you have any further information about objects in our collections, can suggest corrections to our information or if you see content requiring immediate action, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk