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What is Maskaphobia and Antique Masks
Masks are wonderfully paradoxical.
Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth. — Oscar Wilde.
A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment.
These are Theatre Masks of Ancient Greece. I think they are funny.
Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practical purposes, as well as in the performing arts and for entertainment.
They are usually worn on the face, although they may also be positioned for effect elsewhere on the wearer’s body.
Generally in art history, especially in sculpture, “mask” is the term for a face without a body that is not modeled in the round.
Masks are wonderfully paradoxical in this way: while they may hide the physical reality, they can show us how a person wants to be seen. — Joanna Scott.
This stone mask is probably the oldest surviving mask in the world.
It is from the pre-ceramic Neolithic period dates to 7000 BC.
The use of masks in ceremonies is a very ancient human practice around the world.
Masks can also be used for protection, in hunting, in pandemic times, in sports, in feasts, in wars, or simply used as ornamentation.
Some ceremonial or decorative masks were not designed to be worn.
Although the religious use of masks has declined, masks are used sometimes in drama therapy or psychotherapy.
