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Nō mask of a youthful attendant (Kasshiki)
Nō mask of a youthful attendant (Kasshiki)

Nō mask of a youthful attendant (Kasshiki)

Original Language Title能面（喝食）
CultureJapanese
Dateearly 19th century
MediumPainted wood
DimensionsOverall: 8 1/4 × 5 1/4 inches (20.96 × 13.34 cm)
Credit LineGift of Lincoln Kirstein in memory of Mrs. George H. Bunting Jr.
Object number81-63
On View
Not on view
Collections
Gallery Label

The mask represents the character Kasshiki, a young attendant in Zen Buddhist temples. His youthful features—playfully swept bangs, dimpled cheeks, and almond-shaped eyes—would be instantly recognizable to an audience. When worn by an actor, the mask created different expressions by catching light and shadow as if the face were real. Nō plays, which began as somber ritual drama for the elite samurai warrior class in the 1400s, remain popular today.

Provenance

With Lincoln Kirstein, Manhattan, NY, by 1981;

His gift to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1981.
Published References

Roger Ward and Patricia J. Fidler, eds., The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art: A Handbook of the Collection (New York: Hudson Hills Press, in association with The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 1993), 373 (repro.). 

Deborah Emont Scott, ed., The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art: A Handbook of the Collection, 7th ed. (Kansas City, MO: The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 2008), 394, no.51 (repro.).
Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information, is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete. Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image, please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.