Cacciapuoti Tragic Mask from Guido Cacciapuoti, 1930s

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Cacciapuoti Tragic Mask, an Art Deco figurative sculpture by Neapolitan artist Guido Cacciapuoti (Naples 1892 - Milan 1953) depicting a … Read more Cacciapuoti Tragic Mask, an Art Deco figurative sculpture by Neapolitan artist Guido Cacciapuoti (Naples 1892 - Milan 1953) depicting a tragic mask, crafted from hand-molded ceramic and silvered on the front.

The sculpture is signed Cacciapuoti on the back and stands on a black lacquered wooden base, 16 x 10 x 10 cm tall. It comes from the private collection of a Milanese set designer and is in good condition, with a splendid oxidized patina.

This tragic mask is a decorative, sculptural element, a human face with a singular expressive power, simplified form, and stylized, dramatic features. Like a shadow, the mask evokes the category of the double; it is like a veil that conceals in order to reveal. Dualism is, in fact, the emblem of Greek masks: the joyful one of comedy and the sad one of tragedy.

This dual meaning of revelation and concealment is well conveyed by the double etymology of the word: in Latin maschera means person, while in Arabic the term maskharah means caricature, mockery. This piece has an attribution mark,
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