Antique Yup’ik Museum Replica Clay Mask of a Lunar Tunghak Spirit, from Southwestern Alaska, early 20th Century

Antique Yup’ik Museum Replica Clay Mask of a Lunar Tunghak Spirit, from Southwestern Alaska, early 20th Century, an oval clay mask that appears to have been cast from the original wooden mask, having an oval face with one eye and the mouth fully round on slightly raised surfaces, and the second eye a crescent slit on slightly recessed oval surface; the mask is in brown pigment with faint white splotches, but for the crescent eye set on a red surface with series of white spots. The reverse shows the roughly whittled surface of the original, and bears an old paper label inscribed #17. A horizontal metal rod for hanging the mask was secured in the original casting of the clay piece.

The Yup’ik are a group of indigenous peoples of western, southwestern, and southcentral Alaska and Siberia related to the Inuit and Inupiat peoples. Their masks are famous for achieving an inventive surrealism with only simple carving and limited painting. Few original masks exist as they were customarily destroyed after use. This piece is an old museum copy of a famous mask collected in 1915 on Cape Vancouver in Alaska.

The mask remains in very good condition, with mellowed but still strong paint, and structurally sound with no discernible damage.

Measures: 8-1/16 in H x 5-3/4 in W