MASQUE DE CHITIPATI EN PAPIER-MÂCHÉ POLYCHROME MONGOLIE, XIXE SIÈCLEMASQUE DE CHITIPATI EN PAPIER-MÂCHÉ POLYCHROMEMONGOLIE, XIXE SIÈCLE Himalayan Art Resources item no. 205069 45 cm (17 3/4 in.) highA POLYCHROMED PAPIER-MÂCHÉ CHITIPATI MASK MONGOLIA, 19TH CENTURY 蒙古 十九世紀 紙塑加彩屍陀林主面具 Chitipati skeleton masks are worn during Cham ritual dances: sacred theatrical practices performed as narrative guides to Buddhist teachings. The masks themselves are meant to transform dancers into gods, in a visual display of Buddhist ritual. Chitipati, specifically, as "lord of the charnel ground" are considered retinue figures to other deities and represent the impermanence and emptiness of all phenomena. Constructed from layers of papier-mâché, the details of are made up of pulverized clay and adhered to the surface and finished with a layer of polychrome. The skull face with five-skulls crown each topped by an emblem is a common feature of chitipati masks. Compare to another 19th century chitipati Mongolian mask illustrated in Berger, Mongolia: The Legacy of Chinggis Khan, San Francisco, 1995, p. 154, no. 31.Published: Francois Pannier, La Danse Des Morts. Citipati De l'Himalaya, Danse Macabres et Vanites De l'Occident, Paris, 2004, p. 70, no. 38. Exhibited: Galerie le Toit du Monde, Paris, 15 September – 30 October 2004Remember That You Will Die, Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 19 March - 9 August, 2010.Provenance:Memhet Hassan, Bangkok, 1990s