27.2010.30 Portrait mask of a woman (ndoma)

Ndoma means "double." Masks like this one portray prominent members of the village, who—although idealized with a composed facial expression and respectful downcast eyes—can be recognized by their facial features, hairstyles, and scarifications. They are usually commissioned by a man to honor a female relative or to be presented by a carver in homage to a beautiful and talented female dancer.

Portrait masks are adorned with beautiful cloths and fine scarfs. The dancers wearing them carry cow-tail fly whisks. Concealed in a cloth enclosure, masks are not seen by the public until their time to make a dramatic appearance. 

Non-religous ndoma appear at mblo and gbagba entertainment dances, which present humorous skits with a moral lesson on such occasions as the new year, the arrival of important visitors, national holidays, and funerals of prominent visitors. 

Roslyn A. Walker, Label text, Arts of Africa, 2015.

Apply to objects where number equals 27.2010.3