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Cultural Context

exorcism

Iconographic Meaning

The delineation of sideburns symbolizes a high social position, and the conventional perfection and symmetry of the features symbolize youth.

History Of Use

The Kolam is a secular entertainment with considerable elements of social satire. It incorporates narrative, mime, dance, and music. A Kolam performance usually has four episodes the precise content of which may vary. These consist of a prelude, detailing the origin of the drama; the arrival of a royal party and dances by characters mythical, human and animal; enactment of a popular story or stories; and a purifying demon dance. This mask represents Mundaliyav, a high government official, representative of the central authority and chief citizen of the village. He is the personification of pride, haughtiness, aloofness and the foolhardiness of the rural bureaucrat.

Description

Mask depicting a humanoid male face that is pink overall with black hair and sideburns, think black eyebrows, bulging eyes rimmed with red and black that have a crescent-shaped slit under each, large ears that each have red and black curved lones, a slightly curved pointed nose with large nostrils, full red lips with the top lip bordered by a thin black line, and a proportionately small chin.