mask (ansiktsmask), Maha Sammata Raja

1916.9.7

Name and identification of character
Kolam mask depicting a king, raja muna (Sin.). The mask depicts King Maha Sammata, the primeval monarch of the world. A few eye-copies and manuscripts on Kolam refer to him as King Nalukirti or King Kalinga Raju. Callaway (1829:37) identifies him as King Piliat.

Context
Maha Sammata is the chief king in the Kolam repertoire. All the accessible manuscripts written on ola-leaves and later eye-copies agree that the Kolam dance performance originates in the desire of his queen (cf. specimen 1916.9.5) to see a masked dance-drama. This desire was a pregnancy craving. The king arrives at the Kolam arena accompanied by the queen, ministers and attendants. The Kolam performance was held in the presence of the royal dignitaries.

In Kolam, the dramatic element is predominant. The ceremonial nature of episodes cannot be fully comprehended unless one sees the dancer in action. The mask is not a static object. It is always in movement and is only fully meaningful in the dynamic context of the dance. Although the royal characters do not dance as other characters do, they execute a slow, rhythmic promenade in time to the deep, scintillating drum-beats. Even so, the character portrayal is not complete without the relevant costumes. This is more the case with royal characters. The costumes may resemble those worn by early monarchs. The kings were supposed to be dressed with 64 ornaments, called su-säta abarana (Sin.). It is only when the masked dancer appears in full costume that the resulting visual effects bring the character into proper focus. Any evaluation of Sri Lankan masks bereft of this picture would be incomplete.

Material
Wood, vel-kaduru (Nux vomica), and traditional pigments.

Iconography
Kings are venerated as gods or demi-gods who are believed to inhabit a plane of existence above that of the human world. The height of the crown, stretching upwards reflects the carver's sculptural conception of this phenomenon.

The mask is sculpted in the round. The tiers of the crown are joined together in the shape of a relic dome, a dagoba (Sin.).

There are six lion figures lightly drawn circling the second tier. The lion figures are indicative of the symbol of Sinhala sovereignty (descendants of the Lion race) and perform a deep metaphoric function. The forehead band, nalal patiya (Sin.), a prominent feature of the royal masks, is surmounted by two other head bands, one ornamented with petal designs. The forehead band comes down along the ears. The shape of this decoration is similar to a makara portico, usually constructed at the entrance to Buddhist temples. In fact, the two makara figures (aquatic animals) are carved on the shoulder blades of this mask.

Whiskers, kangul (Sin.), are prominently drawn on the sides of the face. They are a conception of masculinity and authority. Other iconographic details, such as the nose painted in lemon-yellow, nostrils in red, the closed mouth with reddish lips, the lowered eyebrows, and above all the smooth facial texture, are representative of a sedate figure with a well-composed mind. The ears are narrow and elongated, the lower pendulous part of the ear, referred to in Sinhalese as kan-pata, is drilled and an ear-ornament is inserted. Such features represent those of an Indian monarch.

Damages
The second tier of the crown is cracked.

20000 04 25
Dr. M.H. Goonatilleka