Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 16. (Budapest, 1997)

ASZTALOS Zoltán-KELÉNYI Béla: Egy mongol rituális táncmaszk restaurálása

ZOLTÁN ASZTALOS-BÉLA KELÉNYI THE RESTORATION OF A RITUAL MONGOLIAN DANCE-MASK One of the interesting pieces in the temporary exhibition which opened in the Ferenc Hopp Museum of Eastern Asiatic Arts in 1995 was a dance-mask of Mongolian origin,

1 worn during Buddhist sacred dances. However, it turned out that this artefact,

2 which was on loan from a private collector, was heavily infested with insects, with the result that immediate restoration was necessary. Since the restoration of the mask, a rare object, had no precedent in the entire history of the Museum and since this was a procedure somewhat unusual in Hungary, we consider it necessary to describe the various stages of this work. The present introduction is a brief summary, by way of reminder only, of the use of ritual dance-masks, their character, and the traditional manner of their production. After the 16th century, as a result of the second spreading of Tibetan Buddhism, within the rituals connected with the religious system the Mongolians adopted the masked dance, the tsam (classical Mongolian: cam, Buryat: sam; Tibetan: 'cham). In this dance the dancers appear in special costumes bearing images of deities, embellishments and especially large, spectacular masks (Mong: bay; Tib: 'bag, 'cham-'bag). In Tibetan Buddhism, however, masks are used not just in religious dances, which are choreographed with extraordinary complexity. By way of angry-looking masks fastened to temple pillars (Tib: ka-'bag) the Tibetans worship the spirits of ancestors.

3 The specially sanctified masks - depicting protective deities, enjoying heightened respect and placed in a darkwalled chapel (Tib: mgon-khang) - are never used as dance-masks. These masks, reckoned to be the „dwelling-places" of a deity, are treated exclusively as cultic objects, and various sacrifices are made to them.

4 Although masks may be made out of various materials - for example, leather (facemasks against the vicissitudes of the weather), wood or metal -, dance-masks are traditionally made from papier-mâché. In other words, masks are used which are made from paper and from pieces of fabric stiffened with glue.

5 Their lightness makes it possible for monks to wear large masks in dances lasting for hours without getting tired. The maskmaking master (Tib: 'bag-pa) first makes a clay model of the mask.

6 After the shape has dried, small pieces of textile soaked in glue are placed on it. On top are stuck small, damp pieces of paper. This procedure is repeated many times. After the mask thus made has dried, it is removed from the clay mould, with the latter being knocked off from the back. After this comes the priming with a mixture of lime/chalk and glue, followed by painting, in line with the iconographical prescriptions. Different embellishments - for example, diadems, skull-crowns and ear decorations - are made separately. These are afterwards stuck onto the mask, along with the hair parts and the ribbons. Finally, after completion of the work, unless it is of some minor deity, it is sanctified by means of a special ceremony.

7 In Mongolia the tsam gained ground com-