mask

1916.9.96 Name and identification of character A Moorish man, Marakkala Miniha (Sin.) or Tambi (Tambiyar in the Tamil language). Context This character appears in two contexts, as a foreign merchant in the story known as Gon-koti Kathava (Sin.) (vide Preface), and in a witty and humorous episode called Tambi kolama. Material Wood, Vel-kaduru (Nux vomica). Iconography The head-gear associated with this ethnic group, is known as Tambige Toppiya (Sin.) (cap of the Moor), and fez (in Turkish). It is tall and painted in bright colours. One of the appealing features in this mask is the imposing beard, beautifully carved and painted in black. There is no difference in sculptural style between the masks 1916.9.95 and 1916.9.96, except that 1916.9.95 is crudely carved, and 1916.9.96 is well carved. The mask represents a stylised, or idealised naturalism. The nose is flat and the open mouth is small. One row of teeth is painted in white and delineated by thin red lines. The eyes appear to be slightly squinting. The face and the ears are painted in pink. The moustache is slightly curved and drawn in black. 2000 06 09 Dr. M. H. Goonatilleka