19th Century Wood Carved Chinese Masks from a Classic Historical Novel - Set of 5

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A set of five rosewood finely carved masks with glass eyes and bone teeth and elaborate hair styles. Carved from … Read more A set of five rosewood finely carved masks with glass eyes and bone teeth and elaborate hair styles. Carved from a single piece of wood, showing the faces of characters from literature in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the eyes decorated with color glass, nice teeth. Romance of the Three Kingdoms, attributed to Luo Guanzhong, is a historical novel set in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, starting in 169 and ending with the reunification of the land in 280. The story– part historical, part legend, and part myth romanticises and dramatises the lives of feudal lords and their retainers, who tried to replace the dwindling Han dynasty or restore it. While the novel follows hundreds of characters, the focus is mainly on the three power blocs that emerged from the remnants of the Han dynasty, and would eventually form the three states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The novel deals with the plots, personal and military battles, intrigues, and struggles of these states to achieve dominance for almost 100 years. Romance of the Three Kingdoms is acclaimed as one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature. See less