Footnotes

A CHITIPATI RITUAL DANCE COSTUME WITH PAPIER-MÂCHÉ MASK AND PAINTED SILK AND SILK EMBROIDERED GARMENTS AND BOOTS
MONGOLIA, 19TH CENTURY

蒙古 十九世紀 彩繪緞繡屍陀林主舞服及靴子配彩繪紙塑面具

Costumes such as these were used during ritual Cham dances, a practice involving narrative reenactments meant to both story tell and invoke deities. Initially originating in Tibet, Cham became a practice that covered large areas of the Himalayas. Held during ceremonial festivities at local monasteries, monks wearing these costumes were understood to be invoking the spirit of the costume they adorned.

Cham costumes were elaborate and consist of large papier-mâché masks, fine silk with appliqué and embroidery, and decorative footwear. Coupled with sounds of gyaling, cymbals and drums these coordinated dances displayed a dramatic and spirited portrayal of ritual deity invocation. Wearing the chitipati costume would have served to supplicate the protective energies associated with these skeletal beings and provoked reminders of the impermanence of all things.

Considered embodiments of the deity themselves, each element of the costume is thoughtfully designed. The five pointed crown of skeletons and parasol finial surmounting the terrifying gaze and wide gaping mouth of the face is deliberately fearsome. The embroidered silks decorated with severed heads and skulls at the top and a rocky terrain on the hem below with a ritual apron around the waist are layered to exhibit fluttering while in motion. Compare a similar papier- mâché mask with parasol finial illustrated on HAR 53077 and another wrathful deity costume on HAR 53074, both which are from Mongolia.

Published:
Michael Henss, Buddhist Ritual Art of Tibet: A Handbook on Ceremonial Objects and Ritual Furnishings in the Tibetan Temple, Stuttgart, 2020, p.427, no. 588. (mask only)

Exhibited:
Remember That You Will Die, Rubin Museum of Art, New York, 19 March - 9 August, 2010.

Provenance:
Peter Hardt, New York, 2008