mask (ansiktsmask)

1916.9.26

Name and identification of character
A king, raja (Sin.); the head of the royal party in whose presence Kolam dances were presented. The king is popularly referred to as Maha Sammata Raja, the legendary primeval monarch of the world.

Similar sculptural traits are noticeable in masks representing Kalinga Raja (Sin.) and Nalukirthi Raja (Sin.). These names are alternatively used to identify the king, depending on the tradition followed.

Context
The king appears with his queen and retinue to witness the Kolam performance.

Material
Wood, Vel-kaduru (Sin.) (Nux vomica).

Iconography
The crown is tall and broad. It has three circular, detachable tiers. All parts are worked in the round. The crown is in two layers, a broad second layer in the shape of a relic chamber, dagäba (Sin.), and the top layer in the form of a pinnacle, makuta or kot muduna (Sin.), normally fitted as a crest on a dagäba. The second layer, commonly seen in Kandyan art, displays ornamentation of Kandyan kings, namely the lions, foliage, petal and lotus designs.

There are four pairs of lions sculpted back to back. In order to suggest that the lions are in a forest, the figures are surrounded by leaf motifs. The lions denote the royal insignia.

The colours of the motifs and rosettes have faded, but pale yellow, pink, green and black spots are visible.

The pinnacle is in three parts, the centre part displays the usual petal, pala-peti (Sin.), design. The crest is in the form of a spire, ul-kota (Sin.).

The face is combined with a circular wooden structure. It contains the usual fillings with foliage, and flower designs. On the very back of the rim encircling the face is another, larger, figure of two lions back to back.

The face is painted in lemon yellow shaded with pink. The smiling, closed mouth with crimson lips, is in contrast with the prominent hair-band and the black and thickly cut side-whiskers. An ear ornament, called toduva (Sin.), suspends from the earlobe.

One shoulder blade is broken.

2000 02 23
Dr. M. H. Goonatilleka