This wooden mask and costume represent Rangda or Durga, who is the Hindu Goddess of Death. It has large bulging eyes enhanced with pigment, two prominent wooden tusks that protrude from either side of the mouth and elaborate hair. The mask is hand-carved, painted with natural pigments and decorated with coconut fibre and other organic materials as well as gold leaf. In Balinese theatre, although it is commonly thought that Rangda represents evil and Barong represents good, in the struggle between good and evil, they are not considered opposing forces. They are forces of black (Rangda) and white (Barong) magic that needs to exist in harmony for social good. The mask is a powerful one and can only be worn by a priest or a ritual specialist. The character of Rangda appears in the Barong and Calonarang masked perfomances of Java and Bali.The mask was reportedly made some forty years ago at one of the royal palaces in Denpassar. They were made for a royal family living at Puri Belaluan in Denpassar and was used on special ceremonial occasions.
