Lot 307

20th C. Balinese Wood Boar Mask - Barong Bangkal

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20th C. Balinese Wood Boar Mask - Barong Bangkal

Estimate: $600 - $900

Starting Bid: $300

(0 Bids)

by Artemis Fine Arts
August 7, 2026 9:00 AM MDT
Live Auction
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Bali, Balinese, ca. 1900–1999 CE. A carved and polychromed wooden mask rendering the snout and bristled brow of a wild boar, the Barong Bangkal of Balinese ceremony. The dark, near-black surface is burnished with age and use, relieved by red-rimmed almond eyes, pale carved tusks flanking a broad open snout, and a scarlet-lined mouth that bares a tight row of teeth. Curling incised whiskers animate the muzzle. Worn over the head in temple processions and ritual drama, the boar Barong is one guise of the composite protector spirit that safeguards the village against malevolent forces, an animate embodiment of benevolent power confronting the demonic. The naturalism of the porcine features, at once fierce and faintly comic, reflects the Balinese carver's gift for investing sacred objects with vivid, breathing presence. Size: 6.6" W x 7" H x 8.5" D (16.8 cm W x 17.8 cm H x 21.6 cm D); on included custom stand: 6.6" W x 11.5" H x 8.5" D (16.8 cm W x 29.2 cm H x 21.6 cm D).

The Barong is Bali's great protector spirit, the benevolent counterweight to the witch-demon Rangda in the island's ritual theater. Though best known in his leonine form (Barong Ket), he appears in a documented roster of animal guises, each with its own regional and ceremonial role: lion (singa or ket), tiger (macan), boar (bangkal), deer (manjangan), cow (lembu), dog (asu), and elephant (gajah). The Barong Bangkal, or boar Barong, is danced by two performers beneath a bristled body and is especially associated with village purification and processional rites. Such masks are consecrated objects, treated as vessels of spiritual force (taksu) and stored with offerings when not in use.

Provenance: private Los Angeles, California, USA collection

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Item # 203785

  • Condition: A few stable fissures to wood, as well as expected surface wear. Otherwise, intact and excellent with impressive pigment and detail.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000