weird tiki masks! help me identify?

my fiance and i were the gracious recipients (one of those rare, once-in-a-blue moon strokes of LUCK!) of two 3'5" tiki masks, from a friend of a friend! they are so heavy. not sure what kind of wood they are. however, i'm more interested in finding out what kind of influences these masks have. we're thrown off a bit by some of the floral carvings on the masks. they look a little playful and not toooooo traditional. we don't know where they came from, how old they are, or anything else about them. any input/insights would be greatly appreciated!

mahalo in advance!

hey heelgrinder, as of yet we have no conclusive evidence of origin.

check out http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=16404&forum=5

and

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=17370&forum=5

j$

I have a minor in non-Western Art History and am pretty familiar with Oceania, African and American Indigenous Art. Looking at the masks makes one think they were carved for commercial purposes, as are just about anything we could find/ afford. It has been my experience that when I can't ID a commercial mask it is an Indonesian product. This piece also looks busy and combines different influences, as do many Indonesian commercial masks. It was carved with metal tools for sure and is not typical of Filipino products. It does resemble crude Caribbean pieces I've seen in wood appearance and overall shape, though far more detail/skill is apparent in your piece. The floral motifs are reminiscent of Mexican painted details on their commercial ceramics, which I've seen painted (not carved 'til now), on at least 1 wood mask a friend gifted me, it too had no origin info, but the floral paint led me to think of Mexicn tourist/folk products and then to connect it to some non-painted pieces I've seen in antique malls, again with no Hecho en Mexico listed... After I looked up wooden Mexican masks, I am fairly certain the hunch was correct.

It's possible that it was a home folk art project, but it looks too much like a quickly executed product made in multiples for that to hold water.
My vote, made in Mexico. Google Mexican dance masks or Diablo mask... and pay attention to the nose shape, mask shape, whimsical variety and the wood used.

... Hope I helped with your tiki archeology dig!

To drown sorrow, where should one jump first and best? "Certainly not water. Water rusts you." -Frank Sinatra

[ Edited by: Sneakytiki 2006-01-10 13:45 ]

[ Edited by: Sneakytiki 2006-01-10 13:46 ]

[ Edited by: sneakytiki 2006-01-10 23:41 ]

Wow, wonderful info. thanks so much for the reply!

i'm happy to have 'em, even if they're not purebred tiki :D