1916.9.241
Name and identification of character
Sanni mask depicting blindness, kana Sanniya (Sin.)
Context
A mask depicting one of the basic eighteen disease-causing demons used in the exorcist ritual, the Sanni Yakuma (Sin.) or the Daha-ata Sanniya (Sin.) (vide Preface).
Material
Wood, vel-kaduru (Sin.) (Nux vomica).
Iconography
The mask is painted in black. The facial characteristics display blindness. The eyes are only hollowed, eyelids and pupils are not registered. The face is in the shape of an animal's. There are wrinkles on the forehead and over the cheeks. There are no ears. The mouth is angular in shape. It is half-open and displays demonic traits.
2000 06 03
Dr. M. H. Goonatilleka