The premium Ginidal Raksha swaps the usual red face for a black one, and the fire around it burns all the brighter for it. Fine yellow line work traces the brow, cheeks and nose across the black ground, the eyes stare out from rings of white, green, yellow and blue, and the flame crown flares above and to the sides in long, tapering tongues.
Three designs. Designs A, B and C are all fire demons with the black face, but their flames are painted differently: some in warm orange and yellow edged with white, others in deep red striped with black and yellow, with the eye rings and ear rosettes changing colour to match. The photographs show the range; choose a design, then a height.
The carving. The mouth is cut open over two rows of square white teeth, with a tongue hanging over the chin. The flame panels are shaped separately and fitted to either side of the hollow face, and the back is bare wood with a small screw eye for hanging.
The fire demon. In Sri Lanka's Raksha tradition the Ginidal, or Gini Raksha, is the demon of fire and is linked with anger; its ferocity is meant to point outward, towards whatever would harm a home. The craft is centred on the southern coast around Ambalangoda, and our guide to Raksha masks covers the other forms.
Sizes. 15 cm (6 in), 20 cm (8 in), 25 cm (10 in) and 30 cm (12 in) tall, which suits a shelf, a desk or a small wall. Each mask is carved and painted by hand, so no two are identical. The red-faced Ginidal Raksha Mask is made in larger sizes.
