Mask Ventral Passport
Toma · Guinea (Conakry)
Reference: MPS-36
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- Height
- 21 cm
- Material
- Wood and pigments.
Small passport mask that reproduces a ventral mask. Belly or ventral masks are used by different ethnic groups to represent motherhood. They are worn by men…
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Full original description
Small passport mask that reproduces a ventral mask. Belly or ventral masks are used by different ethnic groups to represent motherhood. They are worn by men during ceremonies intended to celebrate the fertility of women and the land. These masks show the breasts and belly of a pregnant woman, as the most real symbol of fertility and procreation. They are also used in a playful dance, danced by men, in which childbirth is parodyed. This mask is topped by a long-necked human head. The arms at the end of the torso and the belly, voluminous, as is normal in these masks. Interestingly, the breasts, elongated and conical, are joined by the tips in a lateral movement towards the interior. Black patina.
Further technical information
- Width
- 8 cm
- Attributed period
- Mid-century XX
Details transcribed from the original catalogue; they are not a recent physical inspection.
Country on the map
Guinea (Conakry). The country associated with the catalog is shown, not the current location of the piece.
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Attributions, dates and accounts come from the preserved catalogue. They do not constitute certification of authenticity or provenance. An object’s presence on this website does not mean it is available for sale.
