The Henchappu Kolam Mask is a hand-carved, hand-painted wooden mask of one of the human characters of Kolam, the masked folk drama of Sri Lanka. It brings a familiar comic figure from village theatre into the home, to hang on a wall or keep with a collection of masks.
Kolam is a ceremonial folk drama, many centuries old and still performed, whose cast is divided into supernatural, human and animal characters. Its episodes poke fun at village life and at the officials of colonial-era Sinhala society. Henchappu appears alongside the Mudali, the village chief, whose preparations for a royal visit give the play some of its liveliest comic scenes.
This mask gives Henchappu a warm terracotta-red face with wide white eyes, arched black brows, a broad black moustache and a wide smile, framed by shaded ears. Above the brow sits a tall, ribbed yellow cap brushed with streaks of red, bound by a band of red dots with a pointed emblem at the centre. Every line and colour is painted by hand, so each mask differs slightly from the next.
Kolam masks are carved from blocks of wood and brightly painted, with colours and patterns that signal a character's sex, age and position in society. This one is carved from lightweight wood, and the brushwork and small irregularities of the finish are part of its handmade character.
