Yangju Byeolsandae Miyal Halmi Mask Korean

Description

A preowned Miyal Halmi (Old Grandmother) Mask from Yangju, Gyeonggi Province. Used as a face mask in Byeolsandae Drama during performance. Made around the 1980’s. Hand carved from wood, with old book page pasted from the inside as softer surface for the performer to wear. Covering with textile from the back of the mask. Name of the mask, as well as the mask type were hand written in calligraphy inside the mask. This mask represents the character as an old grandmother who has been abandoned by her husband. She had been searching for him throughout her life in the play.

The Yangju Pyeolsandae Nori is a very popular folk dance in Korean history. Sandae noli is a type of masking tradition from the Gyeonggi region near Seoul, Korea. This usually and traditionally performed on seasonal holidays as part of an annual village festival. Accompanied by music played on a small samhyeon yukgak ensemble, consisting of three aerophones, one chordophone, and two membranophones. The full performance involves dozens of characters in different masks.

There are over 20 characters. Red, black, white and other bright colors help to identify the character, many of which appear to have deformed features. Most of them are meant to ridicule various professionals and other members of the upper class. There is the traditional cloth hood which pulls over the dancer’s head and helps to secure the mask.

Noted: For more on Korean masquerade, kindly see Jeon Kyung-wook, Korean Mask Dance Dramas: Their History and Structural Principles (Gyeonggi-do, Rep. of Korea: Youlhwadang Pub. 2005). Or, check out the link below

https://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Culture/view?articleId=123382

Dimensions: 4″ x 7.25″ x 10″

Vintage piece. Sell in used, pre-owned condition. Vintage and antique items by nature have variable amounts of wear, imperfections, signs of use, age and time. Perfectly imperfect. Condition shown as in pictures. Kindly contact us if you need more info. or detail pictures.