Mask of an Elder (1800s): Art, History and Details

Mask of an Elder (1800s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

The traditional Korean mask dance is a form of drama featuring the wearing of masks such as this one, singing and dancing. It was originally a regional term only applied to mask dances traditional to Hwanghae Province. During the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910), the dance rose to popularity among villagers as a means of self-expression and liberation, often criticizing injustice of society.

Object facts

• Title: Mask of an Elder
• Date: 1800s
• Culture: Korea, Joseon dynasty (1392–1910)
• Type: Wood
• Technique: wood with horsehair
• Dimensions: Mask: 20.3 x 6.1 cm (8 x 2 3/8 in.)
• Collection: Korean Art
• Department: Korean Art
• Accession number: 1989.103

A detail from the museum

This wooden mask may have been worn by a dancer who performed an elderly figure for outdoor theatrical dance.

Collection credit

The Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.