Bhuta Mask

Used for a kind of ‘spirit’ worship in the coastal area of Karnataka and Kerala. Bell metal. 19th century. In Bhuta ceremonies men dress up and wear masks like this and become possessed or oracles of the ‘spirit’. There are some 350 or so Bhutas or ‘spirits’ which are broadly divided into heroes of the past who met untimely ends, animals, the elements and of some of which the origins are not known. Height 12” Width