Las Escamas Mahogany Mask

Carved out of mahogany wood, this serie of decorative masks are inspired by taino traditional art figures. The Taino Indians were the people who occupied the island of Hispaniola (today, Dominican Republic & Haïti), as well as a large part of the Caribbean, before the arrival of the Europeans. Numerous pieces of taino artwork have been found across the Caribbean islands.

On the back of this mask, the unknowed artist left us a few of his words:

"VEVE JESU - ABA SATAN - SONSON - MANGE ANPIL"

It is written in haitian creole, as there is haitian people living in Dominican Republic, and some of them survive with their artistic skills. The approximate traduction would be: "Viva Jesus - Go away Satan - Sonson - Lots of food"

• Mahogany wood, natural dyes
• 14.5 x 6 x 1.5 inches
• This is an handmade item. Color and/or woodgrain may vary slightly.

The artisans ...

Dominican Republic is most widely known for its tourist attractions than its artistic reputation. Dominican artists of international reach perform mostly on the musical scene.

Oscar de la Renta, the great fashion designer, is however a Santo Domingo native. We should also mention Paul Giudicelli, Dominican artist whose abstract paintings still influence contemporary artists, as well as Juan Medina whose works decorate the Santo Domingo cathedral and the National Pantheon.

But the savvy consumer will still find a way to little treasures..... read more