Tree fern sculpture

Malekula, 19th century

When this sculpture was made almost every man in Malekulan society was in the sukwe, a social hierarchy with several grades, each with associated privileges. The granting of a new grade was marked by ceremonies, distributing wealth, and the creation of sculptures like this. The possession of these emblems marked a man’s authority in the sukwe system.

Louis XV of France (1710-1774)

London, 1805

Here the king of France wears laurels like a Roman emperor and has an exaggerated aquiline or ‘Roman’ nose, a feature associated with nobility. Possessing this feature was seen as connecting one to the heritage of ancient Rome and the right to rule. Such associations are relative: in the literature of Ming and Qing era China the same feature denoted a villain.

Incense burner

Tibet, unknown date

Many fierce deities are depicted in Buddhist art.  Depictions of some, such as Mahakala, are used as apotropaic figures (warding off evil). Such depictions are richly symbolic: the skulls on this face’s headdress for instance may represent afflictions such as attachment which must be overcome to achieve enlightenment, serving as a reminder of Buddhist teachings.

Carved ceiling boss in the form of a grotesque face

Elgin, 15^th century

Churches and cathedrals were decorated with grotesque imagery from the medieval era onwards, but few sources from the period survive that even mention such imagery. Why such demonic imagery appears in holy places or what they meant to their creators and original viewers is unknown, but they are usually assumed to have an apotropaic function.

Carved wooden panel from St. Nicholas’ Church

Aberdeen, 17^th century

This panel was created at a time when many people believed in Scotland believed in witches and demons. Hundreds of Scots – mostly women – were executed for witchcraft in the 16^th and 17^th centuries. Images like this grotesque face were believed to prevent a witch’s evil influence entering a building.

Armour

Japan, 19^th century

Armour like this was mostly being made as decorative pieces or diplomatic gifts in Japan by the time this helmet was created. But design features from when armour was being made for battle remained, such as the mempo (face guard) with intimidating features, the mouth contorted into a snarl.

Vessels with bearded faces were often imported from Germany and the Netherlands. They became known as ‘Bellarmine jars’ after their resemblance to the divisive Catholic Cardinal Bellarmine (1542-1621). In England, people who suspected they had been targeted by witchcraft would fill the vessels with urine and bent pins and nails, then heat or bury them. This was believed to torture the witch, forcing them to desist from persecuting their victim.

müyü ne bü

Malekula, 19^th century or earlier

Carved stone heads such as this, called müyü ne bü, are considered by some in Vanuatu (the island nation which Malekula is a part of) to be the containers for spirits. The stones are used in magical practices to control the weather and bring fertility and prosperity.