Apotropaic Ceramic Mask, Gennaro Condurso, Seminara, Italy

An expressive ceramic mask from Seminara, the renowned pottery village in Calabria, made by Gennaro Condurso, member of a ceramic family that has produced traditional pottery for generations.

Dimensions: height 22 cm, width 15 cm, depth 7 cm.

This small mask is entirely hand-shaped and glazed in vivid shades of blue, with grey-white accents and a bright red tongue. The powerful facial expression, open mouth, hollow eyes, horn-like forms and irregular modelling give the piece an almost mythical presence.

Masks of this kind are known in Southern Italy as maschere apotropaiche: protective masks traditionally hung on houses to ward off evil, misfortune or the evil eye. Through their expressive appearance, they functioned at once as ritual objects, folk art and decorative elements.

The mask is signed by the artist on the reverse and has an opening for hanging, making it easy to place on a wall. Each example is unique, with small variations in form, colour and glaze that underline its handmade character.

Today, this mask works beautifully as a decorative wall object: a strong, playful and authentic accent in an interior, especially when combined with ceramics, folk art, wabi-sabi objects or contemporary art.