Nuo Theater Mask, China, Sichuan (四川) / Guizhou (贵州), Late 19th – Early 20th Century

Nuo (傩) Theater Mask — Bugua Xianshi (卜卦先师) Character
The Founding Master of Divination by Trigrams
Wood, antique brown patina, signs of internal wear
China, Sichuan (四川) / Guizhou (贵州) Late 19th – early 20th century
Dimensions: 20 x 15.5 cm

Bugua Xianshi—the Founding Master of divination by the Trigrams—is identified with Wen Wang, King Wen of the Zhou Dynasty (11th century B.C.), to whom tradition attributes the codification of the Eight Trigrams (Bagua, 八卦) and the composition of the Yi Jing, the Classic of Changes.
As foundational cosmological concepts in Chinese thought, the Trigrams organize the forces of the world—heaven, earth, water, fire, thunder, wind, mountain, lake—and form the foundation of geomancy, Feng Shui, and the entire range of divinatory practices that shape the lives of rural communities in Sichuan and Guizhou.
“In the Nuo (傩) repertoire, Bugua Xianshi embodies the supreme authority of esoteric knowledge: he is the one who deciphers the signs, orders the ritual timeline, and opens the pathways between the visible world and the invisible forces. His presence in the ceremony confers cosmological legitimacy on the entire ritual. This mask conveys the power of this figure with rare intensity: the solemn face, with half-closed eyes radiating a striking inner presence, is crowned by a sculpted headdress adorned with scrollwork and two lateral protrusions evoking the attributes of a diviner or a cosmic sovereign. The ancient brown patina, deeply imbued by years of use, bears witness to a piece at the very heart of a living tradition."

This mask is reproduced in the book: Paul Louis Couailhac, The Dragon’s Daughter and Other Characters You Might Encounter in China, Éditions Couailhac, 2019, p. 33

Provenance: Former Collection of Paul-Louis Couailhac (1945–2025) A French expert in East Asian studies, a graduate of INALCO, and a renowned bibliophile known for having assembled one of the most significant private collections of Chinese ritual masks from Nuo theater in Europe. An exhibition showcasing his collection of Nuo masks was dedicated to him in 2026 in Issigeac, organized by the Ocarina Gallery.

Sold with a certificate of authenticity from expert S. Reynes and an invoice from the Ocarina Gallery.
* Shipping costs upon request.