This Toma mask features a face with fabric covering the forehead, decorated with cowrie shells. Protruding from the fabric is some sort of animal skin and animal horns. The mask comes with a permanent custom stand.
Sale!
Unique Toma Mask with Animal Horns 31″ w/ Custom Stand – Guinea
Original price was: $750.00.$375.00Current price is: $375.00.
Sold
| Type of Object | Face Mask |
|---|---|
| Country of Origin | Guinea |
| Ethnicity | Toma, Thoma |
| Material | Wood, pigment, leather, fabric, cowrie shells, animal horns |
| Approximate Age | Unknown |
| Height (Inches) | 31" mask, 37" on permanent stand |
| Width (Inches) | 12.5" |
| Depth (Inches) | 7” |
| Weight (Pounds) | 19.5 lbs |
| Overall Condition | Imperfections and wear and tear. See photos or inquire for more information. |
Tribe Information
About the Toma People
“The Toma people of Guinea (known as Loma in Liberia) number 200,000 and live in the high-altitude rain forest lying across the Guinea-Liberia border. Artistically, their reputation rests on their Landai mask which has an articulated crocodile jaw and a flattened, stylized human face. This mask symbolically devours Poro society candidates at the end of their initiation period, after which they are revived as full members of this sodality. Some rare figures exist which are kept within each household.”
Source:
Baquart, Jean-Baptiste. The Tribal Arts of Africa. New York: Thames and Hudson Inc. 1998. Print.