Noh mask - Wood - Ko-omote 小面 with Inscribed Box (No reserve price)

Ko-omote 小面, the youthful female face of Noh, holds a small red smile that shifts from warmth to quiet reserve with light and angle. Fine hairlines frame soft brows and narrow eyes; rounded cheeks and a delicately modelled chin give the carving a gentle poise. A maker’s mark is carved on the reverse. It likely dates to around 1975. Ko-omote means “small face.” Used for young women and female spirits, this mask type allows an actor to suggest changing emotions through movement. Sourced from Japan, it comes with a wooden box inscribed with care instructions and dated July 1975, plus a patterned mask bag. The mask has dark traces around the nostrils and purposeful wear to the surface, hair, rim and lips; the box and bag show stains, with slight textile fraying. No wearing cords are attached. Rear-edge dimensions: 21 × 14 × 7 cm (H/W/D). the box is signed 橋本雙円 [Hashimoto Sōen].

Estimate:£127.08

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