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Wood Elm Zelkova, carved from Burlwood (Kew Gardens identification).
Rich patina signs of dark red paint. Goods signs of wear. 19th C or earlier.
H25cm X W20cm XD12 cm (approx.)
The mask comes from death estate of Otto Samson former curator of the Horniman Museum (London), and was included with a number of other ethnographic artifacts sold at Philips auctioneers (London). The mask was bought by the Arietas. Identified by the John Clarke V&A (London) that the mask is from the western Himalayas with a strong Tibetan culture such as Spiti/Lahaul or upper Sutleji River that goes up to Tibetan border.