Object Name: Mask

Artist: Unknown

Cultural Group: Sinhala peoples

Place of Origin: Southern Province, Sri Lanka

Date: Mid-20th century

Dimensions:

Materials Used: Wood, paint, felt

Credit Line and Accession Number: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Bequest of Mary Stansbury Ruiz. X88.570

This mask represents the chicken used as an offering to appease the spirits of disease. It is one of several apparitions that appear as a part of a curing ceremony, each standing for a different auspicious object that plays a role in the exorcism.

Source: Gallery wall text, Fowler in Focus: Masks of Sri Lanka, 2009