Anthropomorphic face mask · Côte d'Ivoire, Yaure · ID: 3044746
sold
EUR 12,000
Provenance
Koller, Zurich, 18. June 2012, lot 1641Private Collection, Munich, Germany
Size
H: 46 cm
H: 18.1 inch
Description
wood, metal,
This mask can be assigned to the “je” society. The mask mediates as an anthropo-zoomorphic hybrid between the village community and the supernatural forces “yu”, which can be both harmful and benevolent.
Especially a case of death requests the performance of the mask “tu bodu”. By means of their dance, they restore the social equilibrium of the community and accompany the deceased into the ancestral realm.
Comparing literature
Vogel, Susan Mullin, Baule, African Art - Western Eyes, New York 1997, p. 164