Ndoma Portrait-Dance Mask

The mask was worn during the gba-gba dance ceremonies or performed for entertainment and at funeral processions. The Baule custom for this type of mask was that an individual would commission a carver to execute a portrait mask of a person chosen by the owner or commissioner. This portrait could be of a relative or close friend, but first the commissioner must obtain the permission of the subject or person to be portrayed in the mask. The relative or subject must appear when the mask is danced or performed; if the subject of the mask should die, a relative of the deceased’s name is given to the mask. The relationship between the mask and the living person is then considered more important than the actual resemblance of the mask to its original subject.

The mask is depicted with a coiffure of four bundles and a protruding knob-type ornamentation or “bundle support” used for the balance of the four bundle coiffure. The bearded facial feature indicates a male subject. The large wooden collar was covered by cloth or skin of the dancer’s costume.

Provenance:  The first known American collector was the renowned collector Lawrence P. Kolton and Rachel Angotti of Michigan City, Indiana, between the years of 1969 and 1979.