Grimacing Collection

Clown heads on nine Victorian scraps. Date: circa 1890s

Brown capuchin monkey (Sapajus macrocephalus). displaying submissive behavior. Captive, Peru

A Figure of the Adjutant General Adams c.1854 (colour woodblock)
PEM219480 A Figure of the Adjutant General Adams c.1854 (colour woodblock) by Japanese School, (19th century); Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts, USA.

Nikki Bennosuke with Umbrella, 1866. Creator: Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
Nikki Bennosuke with Umbrella, 1866. From Beauty and Valor in the Novel Suikoden

Head of Bhairava, 5th century. Creator: Unknown
Head of Bhairava, 5th century

Daruma, First Patriarch of Zen, Late 18th-early 19th century. Creator: Tanaka Minko
Daruma, First Patriarch of Zen, Late 18th-early 19th century

Bust Portraits of Actors in Folding Fans: Ichikawa Danjuro V, Segawa Kikunojo III... c. 1788
Bust Portraits of Actors in Folding Fans: Ichikawa Danjuro V, Segawa Kikunojo III, Ichikawa Monnosuke II (right, top to bottom); Nakamura Nakazo I, Matsumoto Koshiro IV, Bando Mitsugoro II (left)

Grimacing Male Head, Bust of Girl, n.d. Creator: Unknown
Grimacing Male Head, Bust of Girl, n.d

I have always found clowns both bizarre and scary. This kitsch example in Abingdon's annual street Michaelmas Fair rather proves the point

Comedian Tony Hancock, London Palladium, 1963. Creator: Brian Foskett
Comedian Tony Hancock, London Palladium, 1963

Actors Face Traditional Japanese Woodblock
A Japanese ukiyo-e style of woodblock print showing an Actor of the Kabuki by Tamasakura Yoshitoshi. He carries a sword on his back and stands in front of a patterned screen. Date circa 1850

Bobalicon (Silly Idiot), 1864 (etching, aquatint & drypoint)
3959779 Bobalicon (Silly Idiot), 1864 (etching, aquatint & drypoint) by Goya y Lucientes, Francisco Jose de (1746-1828); 24.3x34.5 cm; Manchester Art Gallery

Hudok Neng Kayan mask (mixed media)
LIT372719 Hudok Neng Kayan mask (mixed media) by Malaysian School; (add.info.: with typical eyes, exposed teeth and long pierced ears with eardrops and a woven basket cap;)

One Person, Six Expressions (Hitori rokumenso), Japan, 1884. Creator: Kobayashi Kiyochika
One Person, Six Expressions (Hitori rokumenso), Japan, 1884

The Actors Nakamura Nakazo I as Matsukaze (right), and Ichikawa Komazo I as... c. 1771
The Actors Nakamura Nakazo I as Matsukaze (right), and Ichikawa Komazo I as Yukihira (left), in the Play Kuni no Hana Ono no Itsumoji, Performed at the Nakamura Theater in the Eleventh Month, 1771

Toy Cart with Grimacing Potbellied Dwarf (Yaksha), 1st century B. C. Creator: Unknown
Toy Cart with Grimacing Potbellied Dwarf (Yaksha), 1st century B.C

Discomforts of an Epicure, 1787. Creator: Thomas Rowlandson
Discomforts of an Epicure, 1787. According to available descriptions of Rowlandson, this is a self-portrait, of course exaggerated

Portrait Vessel of a Figure with Grimacing Face, 100 B. C. / A. D. 500. Creator: Unknown
Portrait Vessel of a Figure with Grimacing Face, 100 B.C./A.D. 500

The First Nakamura Nakazo in the Role of Ko no Moronao, June 1786

The First Nakamura Nakazo as a Samurai, ca. 1780. Creator: Katsukawa Shunko
The First Nakamura Nakazo as a Samurai, ca. 1780

The Actor Nakamura Sukegoro II as a Samurai Disguised as a Shicho or Attendant... ca. 1778. Creator: Shunsho
The Actor Nakamura Sukegoro II as a Samurai Disguised as a Shicho or Attendant at a Shinto Shrine, ca. 1778

Actor Nakamura Shikan as Ootomo no Kuronushi... dated 1882. Creator: Hashimoto Naoyoshi
Actor Nakamura Shikan as Ootomo no Kuronushi, Onoe Taganojo as Kurosome no rei, from Tsumoru koiyuki no sekinoto, dated 1882

The Fourth Ichikawa Danjuro in Shibaraku, 12th month, 1774. Creators: Shunsho, Ichikawa Danjuro IV
The Fourth Ichikawa Danjuro in Shibaraku, 12th month, 1774

The Third Otani Hiroemon as an Outlaw Standing Near a Willow Tree, 3rd month, 1777. Creators: Shunsho, Otani Hiroemon
The Third Otani Hiroemon as an Outlaw Standing Near a Willow Tree, 3rd month, 1777

The Fourth Ichikawa Danjuro as a Yakko (servant) seated upon a Large Cake of Mochi... 1772. Creator: Shunsho
The Fourth Ichikawa Danjuro as a Yakko (servant) seated upon a Large Cake of Mochi Prepared for the New Year Celebration, 1772

The Second Nakajima Mihoemon in the Role of Sadaijin Jihei, 1776. Creator: Shunsho
The Second Nakajima Mihoemon in the Role of Sadaijin Jihei, 1776

Kabuki Actor Nakamura Sukegoro II as Kaminari Shokuro, 2nd month, 1780. Creator: Shunsho
Kabuki Actor Nakamura Sukegoro II as Kaminari Shokuro, 2nd month, 1780

Mask for Noh performance, Muromachi period, 1333-1573. Creator: Unknown
Mask for Noh performance, Muromachi period, 1333-1573

Rage or Anger (charcoal on paper)
1214199 Rage or Anger (charcoal on paper) by Scott, William Bell (1811-90); 32.1x50.6 cm; Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK; eTyne & Wear Archives & Museums; Scottish, out of copyright

The Brown Forester, c. 1920s (pen & ink with w / c on paper)
FLP465407 The Brown Forester, c.1920s (pen & ink with w/c on paper) by Clarke, Joseph Clayton (Kyd) (1856-1937); 28.5x22.5 cm; Free Library of Philadelphia; (add.info)

The actor Otani Oniji III as Edobei, 1794 (colour woodblock print)
2969483 The actor Otani Oniji III as Edobei, 1794 (colour woodblock print) by Sharaku, Toshusai (fl.1794-95); 37.9x25.0 cm; The Art Institute of Chicago, IL

Terracotta figurine of a male comic actor, 400-201 BC (terracotta)
1216421 Terracotta figurine of a male comic actor, 400-201 BC (terracotta) by Greek; height: 12 cm; Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Physiognomical studies, from Mecanisme de la Physionomie humaine ou analyse
CHT207783 Physiognomical studies, from Mecanisme de la Physionomie humaine ou analyse electrophysiologique des passions by Duchenne de Boulogne, published 1876

Studies of Four Heads for a Passion Series (pen & ink, wash and bodycolour on paper)
UCL284458 Studies of Four Heads for a Passion Series (pen & ink, wash and bodycolour on paper) by Holbein, Sigmund (active 1501-40); UCL Art Museum, University College London

Heads of the demon Humbaba (terracotta)
LRI3512884 Heads of the demon Humbaba (terracotta) by Sumerian; Archaeological Museum, Baghdad, Iraq; (add.info.: In Mesopotamian mythology)

Antefix with the head of a gorgon, from the Portonaccio Temple, Veii, c. 500 BC (stone)
XIR199895 Antefix with the head of a gorgon, from the Portonaccio Temple, Veii, c.500 BC (stone) by Etruscan, (6th century BC); Museo Nazionale Etrusco, Villa Giulia, Rome, Lazio

A Middle Mochica mask of an aged dignitary, c. 100-200
1767136 A Middle Mochica mask of an aged dignitary, c.100-200 by Moche; Private Collection; (add.info.: A Middle Mochica mask of an aged dignitary, ca. A.D)

Physiognomical studies, from Mecanisme de la Physionomie humaine ou analyse
CHT207797 Physiognomical studies, from Mecanisme de la Physionomie humaine ou analyse electrophysiologique des passions by Duchenne de Boulogne, published 1876

The Operation, 1753-54 (oil on canvas)
LSE3614289 The Operation, 1753-54 (oil on canvas) by Traversi, Gaspare (1732-69); Staatsgalerie, Stuttgart, Germany; Photo eLeonard de Selva; Italian, out of copyright

Physiognomical studies, from Mecanisme de la Physionomie humaine ou analyse
CHT207806 Physiognomical studies, from Mecanisme de la Physionomie humaine ou analyse electrophysiologique des passions by Duchenne de Boulogne, published 1876

Physiognomical studies, from 22 to 28, from Mecanisme de la Physionomie humaine ou
CHT207798 Physiognomical studies, from 22 to 28, from Mecanisme de la Physionomie humaine ou analyse electrophysiologique des passions by Duchenne de Boulogne, published 1876

The Back Operation, 1636 (engraving)
5216860 The Back Operation, 1636 (engraving) by Brouwer, Adriaen (1605/6-38) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Back Operation, 1636)

Youth Making a Face, c. 1632 / 1635. Creator: Adriaen Brouwer
Youth Making a Face, c. 1632/1635

Figure 47: A suggestion of this same weeping, 1854-56, printed 1862

Figure 34: Grimace, 1854-56, printed 1862. Creators: Duchenne de Boulogne
Figure 34: Grimace, 1854-56, printed 1862

Figure 6: The grimace produced is similar to a tic of the face, 1854-56, printed 1862

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"Grimacing: A Fascinating Display of Expressions Across Time and Cultures" From the clown heads on nine Victorian scraps to the brown capuchin monkey displaying submissive behavior in Peru, it has long been a captivating form of expression. Whether it is captured in an etching, aquatint & drypoint like the Bobalicon (Silly Idiot) from 1864 or depicted on a traditional Japanese woodblock portraying actors' faces, this facial contortion evokes intrigue and curiosity. The Hudok Neng Kayan mask with its mixed media composition transports us to another world, where grimaces take on a spiritual significance. Similarly, the One Person, Six Expressions artwork by Kobayashi Kiyochika showcases the versatility of human emotions through six different expressions. In c. 1771, Nakamura Nakazo I and Ichikawa Komazo I brought their theatrical prowess to life as they portrayed characters with intense grimaces. The Toy Cart with Grimacing Potbellied Dwarf (Yaksha), dating back to the first century B. C. , reminds us that even ancient cultures found amusement in exaggerated facial features. Thomas Rowlandson's Discomforts of an Epicure from 1787 humorously captures how even indulgence can lead to discomforting grimaces. Meanwhile, a Portrait Vessel of a Figure with Grimacing Face dating between 100 B. C. And A. D. 500 demonstrates how this expression transcends time. Finally, we witness Nakamura Nakazo's debut as Ko no Moronao in June 1786—a role that surely demanded powerful grimaces on stage. Grimacing serves as a universal language that connects us across centuries and continents—whether expressed by clowns or monkeys, actors or artists—and invites us into a world where emotions are vividly displayed for all to see.