Odysseus was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and a hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in that same Epic Cycle. Husband of Penelope, father of Telemachus, and son of Laërtes and Anticlea, Odysseus is renowned for his brilliance, guile, and versatility , and is hence known by the epithet Odysseus the Cunning . He is most famous for the ten eventful years he took to return home after the decade-long Trojan War and his famous Trojan Horse ploy to capture the city of Troy.
The mask was a necessary device for the ancient Greeks who developed the art of theater. Among the two main genres of Greek theater are comedy and tragedy, elements of which are still the fundamentals of all acting today. Masks such as this were important accessories in a number of ways. Primarily the mask provided colourful imagery as an accessory or prop (features were over-accentuated or made to look ridiculous in comedy much like caricature sketches). Secondly, using masks helped the audience to identify the roles as often a very limited cast were used to perform multiple characters. Thirdly and perhaps most importantly, the conical mouth shape of the masks (which were usually made of clay) helped the acoustics or 'volume' as the voice of the thespian was better projected out into towards the audience in the theater.
Details:
Condition: New, Handmade in Greece
Material: Casting stone
Height: 29 cm - 11.5 inches
Width: 22 cm - 8.6 inches
Weight: 2.4 kg
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