Superb Antique Japanese Lacquer Processional Shishi Mask

Superb Antique Japanese Lacquer Processional Shishi Mask

Code: 10945

Dimensions:

H: 45cm (17.7")W: 37cm (14.6")D: 35cm (13.8")

SOLD
A Superb Japanese Meiji Period Lacquer Processional Lion Dog (Shishi) Mask, circa 1880, with hinged jaw moving tongue and ears, in red and black lacquer with gilt highlights.  Often carved from cedar wood this type of mask was used in Japanese theatre and street festivals, sometimes carried by a single person or a line of people wearing a textile body, the Shishi went before Bodhisattvas in religious street processions.  One of the most famous processions is the Gion Matsuri festival held in Kyoto in July.  
 
See this link for a similar example in the British Museum 
 http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/asia/m/mask_of_a_shishi.aspx