The Stiltzkin

#11 · 2016 · Wrinkled

Lightest weight plague doctor mask

In 2016, six years after creating The Furst, Tom Banwell introduced his 11th plague doctor character, The Stiltzkin, his lightest weight plague doctor mask yet. By using a thinner leather combined with a proprietary technique that he pioneered, Tom was able to develop a leather finishing process that resulted in The Stiltzkin's unique textures.

The Stiltzkin is a departure from Tom's previous designs and marks the creation of a completely new style of plague doctor. Contrasting the clean seam lines, neat rivet work, and intricate hand stitching of Tom's previous plague doctor characters, The Stiltzkin reimagines the plague doctor as ragged and worn creature with it's signature wrinkled leather. Each mask is individually shaped by hand, and as the folds are different each mask is unique. The rumpled look of the leather sparked the idea for the name: Rumpled Stiltzkin. Each mask is quite lightweight, weighing no more than four ounces (105 gm) each, making them comfortable to wear for hours at a time. There is a series of ventilation holes on the bottom of the beak for easy breathing.

— Tom Banwell