139. MASKS

October 15, 2026

Mosaic with Scenic Masks
unknown artist
Rome, Aventine - Thermae Decianae (?)
2nd century AD

The mosaic represents two masks leaning on a socle projecting out from two walls that meet at an angle, seen in perspective. Two flutes lean on one wall. Their shadows project onto the wall. The female mask depicts a woman with large eyes and wide-open mouth. A ribbon, knotted into a bow at the center of her brow, appears in her curly hair with long ringlets. The physiognomic features of the man are exaggerated and ridiculed. The mouth is enormous, the nose is large and squashed. The eyes bulge out, and the cheeks are wrinkled. On his head is a crown of ivy and berries, decoration associated with the cult of Dionysus, which was linked closely to the birth of the Greek theater.

(Source: Musei Capitolini. Image: Wikimedia Commons.)

Cultural Origins of Masks

Meet ASEAN countries’ masks through a collaborative exhibition of KF ASEAN Culture House and UNESCO ICHCAP, ‘Alternative Identities: Masks of ASEAN and Korea’

Section 1. Origin of Masks
Section 2. Representation of Myth
Section 3. Alternative Realities
Section 4. Reflections of Self
Section 5. Talchum

(Source/Image: Google Arts & Culture)

Related: LOGIC, DANCE TO BELONG, MORE CURIOUS, DEMONSTRATION, DEVOTION IN MOTION, EXTRAORDINARY