Anthropomorphic face mask "gu" · Côte d'Ivoire, Guro · ID: 3050894
William J. (Bill) Moore, Los Angeles, USA
Description
wood, handwritten inventory no., “4528 - V 209”, base
“Gu” is a female being and is always carved “uanya iri nya”, i. e. according to the image of “a beautiful young woman”.
Her high-ranking position is indicated by hair that is tied up in a bunch, a high chignon adorned with an amulet. This amulet (“sa”) consists of a band with a little leather pouch (often decorated with four ivory plates) that holds verses of the Koran.
The object Anthropomorphic face mask “gu” with the object ID 3050894 was last part of the auction 102nd Auction at April 13, 2024 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 157.
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Publications
AHDRC: 0060122
Exhibition
Palos Verdes Art Gallery, 1947 (as a Youre mask); Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1972