At National Museum of Asian Art, Washington this caught my eye.
Museum caption reads:
With a prominent snout and almond-shaped eyes, the boar-faced god Panjurli oversees moral behavior for the Tulu-speaking people.
Adorned with earrings and a crown of rearing cobras (nagas), this commanding mask was made for a dancer who acted as medium in nightlong festivals held to worship local deities.
Regarded as “Truth” (Satya), deities like Panjurli have absolute authority.
Panjurli judges improper acts, such as adultery or familial neglect, conveying his decisions through the dancer, who wears a mask of the god above his head.
Mask of the deity Panjurli
India, Karnataka state, Kanara district. early 20th century
Brass
