Atoni West Timorese Small Fossilized Coral Mask girl with cat There is one small tear

There is one small tear in the canvas-a clean

The box measures 3" tall x 3 1/8" in diameter

which came from the same source

of creating charcoal drawings on paper coated with marble dust

but I believe it likely dates to the late 1820s-early 1830s as do the others

Atoni West Timorese Small Fossilized Coral Mask girl with cat There is one small tearThis small carving is made of ancient fossilized brain coral (Symphillia, formed in the Miocene era 6 10 million years ago), and comes from the Atoni culture (also known as the Atoin Meto, Atoin Pah Meto, and Dawan) of Indonesian West Timor. As I understand it, masks like this were traditionally thought to contain the spirit of ancestors, and were kept inside the house to provide protective spirits for the home. (Relatedly, there is some really