Lot 256 , A group of eighteen bronze or brass Shiva masks, Southern India, 16th-19th century

A group of eighteen bronze or brass Shiva masks, Southern India, 16th-19th century, 6.2 - 19.5cm high

Provenance: bought from a specialist dealer in New Delhi, India in 1975, thence by family descent.
£500-800

Condition:
Typical minor casting imperfections to all of the masks, some of the examples with very heavy wear to the cast decoration consistent with great age and use. Some of the masks have a later metal bar glued in position to the back of the mask so that they could be hung on the wall, one of the masks appears to be missing part of the headdress and another has some casting holes to the face and chin, otherwise in the condition one would expect for age and use.

Unsold