barongan masks from Java

Three barongan masks from Java
Even today on predominantly Moslem Java, the high, cold, Dieng Plateau is a scared place and in the villages trance dances are performed with a variety of animal masks. The mask (topeng) is held over a fire to draw the spirit of the animal into it and to bring the dancer under it's power. The barongan masks shown above represent orge-type characters.
Court dramas are more formalized and usually celebrate the lives and exploits of the Javanese royalty. Masks from these dramas are the kind most frequently seen today in museum collections and in the palace collections of the Kratons in Yogyakarta and Surakarta (Solo). Informal versions of these place stories and others of Hindu origin such as episodes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, are performed by traveling troupes in the Javanese countryside. The masks are relatively simple in the Javanese tradition of emphasizing restraint.