A Fon mask, Togo, carved from one piece of wood, depicting a skull with a long horizontal mouth showing two sets of thin teeth, the small bone like nose, large oval shaped eyes, two holes to suggest the ears, in the middle of the forehead are incrusted cowrie shells, displayed in a circle, around the eyes, ears and on top of the head are incrusted small pebbles; this beautiful heavy object has some cracks through out. Certificate of origin and provenance.

"Two categories of Fon objects can be distinguished. The first includes royal paraphernalia such as king figures, commemorative iron staffs, called Asen, small metal emblematic figures and scepters decorated with a zoomorphic blade.The second category of objects is called Bocio and relates to the Vodun or magical ceremonies undertaken to contact the spirit world and trap harmful forces. The word Vodun is derived from the Yoruba language and also refers to the Fon gods. The Bocio are wooden figures made by blacksmiths under the order of a Fa diviner. They are usually set on a peg and covered with magical substances to the extent that the figure may be hidden. These substances are made of blood, palm oil, beer and animal parts and are believed to give power to the Bocio."

Source: Baquart, Jean-Baptiste. The Tribal Arts of Africa. New York: Thames and Hudson Inc. 1998. Print.

Height: 30 cm / 49 cm incl. stand
Weight: 1,72 kg / 3 kg incl. stand