Masking Collection

Woman performing her toilette with the help of her maid (colour litho)
7201395 Woman performing her toilette with the help of her maid (colour litho) by Rieth, Paul (1871-1925); Private Collection; (add.info.: Woman performing her toilette with the help of her maid)

Blinde Kuh-spiel / Blind Man's Buff Game (colour litho)
8666193 Blinde Kuh-spiel / Blind Man's Buff Game (colour litho) by Christophe (Colomb, Georges) (1856-1945); Private Collection; (add.info.: Blindekuh -Spiel)

Mask of a satyr, 2nd century AD, white marble, National Roman Museum at the Baths of Diocletian, Rome, Italy
6384376 Mask of a satyr, 2nd century AD, white marble, National Roman Museum at the Baths of Diocletian, Rome, Italy; Museo Nazionale Romano, Terme di Diocleziano, Rome

Mask of a satyr, 2nd century AD, white marble, National Roman Museum at the Baths of Diocletian, Rome, Italy
6384374 Mask of a satyr, 2nd century AD, white marble, National Roman Museum at the Baths of Diocletian, Rome, Italy; Museo Nazionale Romano, Terme di Diocleziano, Rome

Statue of a coemidian, from the Villa Albani, historical Rome, Italy
7278265 Statue of a coemidian, from the Villa Albani, historical Rome, Italy; Private Collection; (add.info.: Statue of a coemidian, from the Villa Albani, historical Rome, Italy)

Ornament: Natural Forms, The Mask, etc (engraving)
8647031 Ornament: Natural Forms, The Mask, etc (engraving) by German School, (19th century) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: Natural Forms, The Mask, etc)

Devil mask from Sterzing, Tyrol (engraving)
8626180 Devil mask from Sterzing, Tyrol (engraving) by German School, (19th century) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: Devil mask from Sterzing, Tyrol)

Redoute / Redoubt (colour litho)
8666240 Redoute / Redoubt (colour litho) by Christophe (Colomb, Georges) (1856-1945); Private Collection; (add.info.: Redoute)

Mask of a satyr, 2nd century AD, white marble, National Roman Museum at the Baths of Diocletian, Rome, Italy
6384373 Mask of a satyr, 2nd century AD, white marble, National Roman Museum at the Baths of Diocletian, Rome, Italy; Museo Nazionale Romano, Terme di Diocleziano, Rome

Mask of a satyr, 2nd century AD, white marble, National Roman Museum at the Baths of Diocletian, Rome, Italy
6384369 Mask of a satyr, 2nd century AD, white marble, National Roman Museum at the Baths of Diocletian, Rome, Italy; Museo Nazionale Romano, Terme di Diocleziano, Rome

Illustration of Act V of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
AIS5354588 Illustration of Act V of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by William Shakespeare (1564-1616), 19th century (engraving); © Iberfoto

Jade mask of the bat god (Bat), from Monte Alban, Mexico, 6th-8th century (jade)
AIS5377143 Jade mask of the bat god (Bat), from Monte Alban, Mexico, 6th-8th century (jade); Museo Nacional de Antropologia, Mexico City, Mexico; © Iberfoto

Portrait of woman holding a mask Anonymous (oil on canvas)
JEB4870477 Portrait of woman holding a mask Anonymous (oil on canvas); 79x57 cm; Palais de Longchamp, Marseille, France; © Jean Bernard. All rights reserved 2023

A little dictionary of art in 100 pictures (litho)
8673176 A little dictionary of art in 100 pictures (litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: A little dictionary of art in 100 pictures)

Mask of a satyr, 2nd century AD, white marble, National Roman Museum at the Baths of Diocletian, Rome, Italy
6384370 Mask of a satyr, 2nd century AD, white marble, National Roman Museum at the Baths of Diocletian, Rome, Italy; Museo Nazionale Romano, Terme di Diocleziano, Rome

Mask of a satyr, 2nd century AD, white marble, National Roman Museum at the Baths of Diocletian, Rome, Italy
6384368 Mask of a satyr, 2nd century AD, white marble, National Roman Museum at the Baths of Diocletian, Rome, Italy; Museo Nazionale Romano, Terme di Diocleziano, Rome

Carnival masks, c.1850 (engraving)
7293239 Carnival masks, c.1850 (engraving); (add.info.: Society. Celebration. Carnival masks in the east of France. Engraving, France, ca 1850.); Photo: © Archives Charmet

Letter A, B, C and D: Harlequin (Commedia dell'arte), Bobeche (Antoine Mandelot)
DUV4204025 Letter A, B, C and D: Harlequin (Commedia dell'arte), Bobeche (Antoine Mandelot), Cadet Roussel (Guillaume Rousselle, 1743-1807) and Le Roi Dagobert (Dagobert I, ca)

Circumcised black man near Goree Island, 1796 (engraving)
7422880 Circumcised black man near Goree Island, 1796 (engraving); (add.info.: Geography. Senegal. Circumcised black man near Goree Island)

Antefix with the head of Silenus, 470-490 BC, terracotta, from Gela, museo archeologico regionale, Caltanisetta, Italy
6384433 Antefix with the head of Silenus, 470-490 BC, terracotta, from Gela, museo archeologico regionale, Caltanisetta, Italy; Museo Archeologico Regionale, Caltanissetta

Three grotesque masks by Italian artist Adamo Scultori (engraving)
6317518 Three grotesque masks by Italian artist Adamo Scultori (engraving); (add.info.: Three grotesque masks by Italian artist Adamo Scultori, 1530 - 1585, after fellow Italian Giulio Romano)

Schembart Carnival, Nuremberg (colour litho)
8672837 Schembart Carnival, Nuremberg (colour litho) by German School, (15th century) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: Schembart Carnival, Nuremberg, Germany)

Spring festival at the Tibetan Buddhist monastery of Hemis, Ladakh, India (colour litho)
8663539 Spring festival at the Tibetan Buddhist monastery of Hemis, Ladakh, India (colour litho) by Sabattier, Louis Remy (1863-1935); Private Collection; (add.info)

Page from Gamage's General Catalogue (96th edition), c.1927 (litho)
8669964 Page from Gamage's General Catalogue (96th edition), c.1927 (litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

Company of mummers (litho)
8641506 Company of mummers (litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Company of mummers. Illustration for Chatterbox News-Box, 1915.); © Look and Learn

Pierrot in Criminal Court, c.1864-70 (oil on wood panel)
XOS5879730 Pierrot in Criminal Court, c.1864-70 (oil on wood panel) by Couture, Thomas (1815-79); 45.8x52.1 cm; Cleveland Museum of Art, OH

Mask of a satyr, 2nd century AD, white marble, National Roman Museum at the Baths of Diocletian, Rome, Italy
6384375 Mask of a satyr, 2nd century AD, white marble, National Roman Museum at the Baths of Diocletian, Rome, Italy; Museo Nazionale Romano, Terme di Diocleziano, Rome

Mask of a satyr, 2nd century AD, white marble, National Roman Museum at the Baths of Diocletian, Rome, Italy
6384372 Mask of a satyr, 2nd century AD, white marble, National Roman Museum at the Baths of Diocletian, Rome, Italy; Museo Nazionale Romano, Terme di Diocleziano, Rome

Gorgon mask, 4th century BC (marble sculpture)
AIS5371165 Gorgon mask, 4th century BC (marble sculpture); Acropolis Museum, Athens, Greece; (add.info.: Gorgon mask. 4th century BC. Marble sculpture)

Punish sculpture. Carthaginian mask, 5th-7th century BC (terracotta)
UIG5416318 Punish sculpture. Carthaginian mask, 5th-7th century BC (terracotta); (add.info.: Dated around 5th to 7th centuries BC. From Necropolis of Puig des Molins, Ibiza, Balearic Islands, Spain)

Greek Muses, daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (marble)
UIG5415971 Greek Muses, daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (marble); (add.info.: Inspired by the arts, they were nine sisters)

Masks visiting all dwellings bring the ritual Carnival festivities in every home, 17th century (engraving)
6203030 Masks visiting all dwellings bring the ritual Carnival festivities in every home, 17th century (engraving) by German School

Hawaiian native in ceremonial masks
3480331 Hawaiian native in ceremonial masks; (add.info.: Hawaiian native in ceremonial masks; By John Webber (1751 - 1793)

Letter A and B: Harlequin (Commedia dell'arte) and Bobeche (Antoine Mandelot), beg 20th century (chromolithograph)
DUV4204031 Letter A and B: Harlequin (Commedia dell'arte) and Bobeche (Antoine Mandelot), beg 20th century (chromolithograph); 25x17.5 cm; (add.info.: Drolatic album (abecedary)

Spring festival at the Tibetan Buddhist monastery of Hemis, Ladakh, India (litho)
8672134 Spring festival at the Tibetan Buddhist monastery of Hemis, Ladakh, India (litho) by Sabattier, Louis Remy (1863-1935); Private Collection; (add.info)

Group dance at the Wigman School (b/w photo)
8672793 Group dance at the Wigman School (b/w photo) by Richter, Ursula (1886-1946); Private Collection; (add.info.: Group dance at the Wigman School)

Portrait of Machtelt Suijs, c.1540-45 (oil on wood)
XOS5880845 Portrait of Machtelt Suijs, c.1540-45 (oil on wood) by Heemskerck, Maerten van (1498-1574); 107x97 cm; Cleveland Museum of Art, OH, USA; (add.info.: Painting by Maerten van Heemskerck)

French, Italian and German Sculpture of the 18th Century (engraving)
8644823 French, Italian and German Sculpture of the 18th Century (engraving) by European School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: French)

Mane, Mask, Mast, Maul, Mice, Milk, Mill, Mine, Mold, Mole, Moon, Muff (engraving)
8651804 Mane, Mask, Mast, Maul, Mice, Milk, Mill, Mine, Mold, Mole, Moon, Muff (engraving) by German School, (19th century) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: Mane, Mask, Mast, Maul, Mice)

Ancient Greek musical instruments and theatrical masks (engraving)
8635059 Ancient Greek musical instruments and theatrical masks (engraving) by German School, (19th century) (after); Private Collection; (add.info)

Mask of a satyr, 2nd century AD, white marble, National Roman Museum at the Baths of Diocletian, Rome, Italy
6384377 Mask of a satyr, 2nd century AD, white marble, National Roman Museum at the Baths of Diocletian, Rome, Italy; Museo Nazionale Romano, Terme di Diocleziano, Rome

Italian game card representing a madman (jolly or jocker). 19th century print
FGL5482875 Italian game card representing a madman (jolly or jocker). 19th century print; Fototeca Gilardi

Roman theatrical masks
7177145 Roman theatrical masks; Private Collection; (add.info.: Roman theatrical masks. The masks were quite large and covered the actor's entire head, they were also colour coded)

Relief with theatre Masks for comedies et tragedies
7287245 Relief with theatre Masks for comedies et tragedies; Vatican Museums and Galleries, Vatican City; (add.info.: Relief with theatre Masks for comedies et tragedies)

Jade mask. Teotihuacan art from Mexico, circa 250-600. Glyptic Inv. Gemme 1921, n.824
BEN5473769 Jade mask. Teotihuacan art from Mexico, circa 250-600. Glyptic Inv. Gemme 1921, n.824. Museo degli Argenti, Palazzo Pitti, Florence.660; Museo degli Argenti, Palazzo Pitti, Florence

Capital letters Plate in "Picturesque alphabet or New informative and picturesque alphabet", 1892 (engraving)
DUV4220185 Capital letters Plate in "Picturesque alphabet or New informative and picturesque alphabet", 1892 (engraving); 27x17.5 cm; (add.info)

Letter A: Harlequin. Commedia dell'arte. Harlequin with a mask and a suit holds a rabbit behind his back
DUV4204016 Letter A: Harlequin. Commedia dell'arte. Harlequin with a mask and a suit holds a rabbit behind his back, beg 20th century (chromolithograph); 25x17.5 cm; (add.info)

Hallow'een Revels (colour litho)
8632368 Hallow'een Revels (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Hallow'een Revels)

For sale as Licensed Images

Choose your image, Select your licence and Download the media

"Unveiling the Art of Masking: A Journey through Time and Culture" Step into a world where masks transcend boundaries, concealing secrets and revealing hidden truths. From ancient civilizations to vibrant theatrical performances, the art has captivated humanity for centuries. In "Masking the Medicine, " Henry cartoon humorously depicts how masks have been used as a disguise in various situations. Whether it's hiding behind a mask or using it as protection, these artistic creations serve multiple purposes. The "Spirit of Burlesque" print from 1868 showcases the allure and mystique surrounding masked performers. With their flamboyant costumes and intricate masks, they embody the essence of entertainment that transcends societal norms. Traveling to Sierra Leone, West Africa, we encounter the Mende Sowei Mask. This powerful artifact symbolizes initiation rituals and spiritual connections within its community. It represents not only physical masking but also an embodiment of cultural heritage. Moving eastward to Japan, we find ourselves immersed in Nonomiya's colorful woodcut from 1909. The delicate beauty captured in this artwork portrays traditional Japanese theater with actors adorned in exquisite masks that bring characters to life on stage. "Punchinello carried off by an eagle" takes us back to Europe during a time when masquerades were all the rage. This whimsical chalk drawing illustrates how masks can transport individuals into fantastical realms where anything is possible. Inca Viracocha's mask from Tiahuanaco Classico reminds us of ancient civilizations' reverence for deities through elaborate ceremonial wear. These intricately crafted artifacts showcase skilled craftsmanship while preserving religious beliefs. Egyptian culture comes alive with anthropoid coffins such as those containing mummies like Thuya's outer coffin or Nehemesbastet's chantress coffin from Deir el Bahari tomb KV 64. These ornate burial pieces demonstrate Egyptians' belief in afterlife preparations and their fascination with masking the deceased.