Anthropomorphic mask "tu bodu" from the "lo" group · Côte d'Ivoire, Yaure · ID: 3045817
French Private Collection, Paris (1974)
Cornette de Saint Cyr, Paris,18 Octobre 1999, Lot 248
Frederic Picq, Genève, Switzerland (2002)
Christophe Rolley, Bagneux, France
Mark Eglinton, New York, USA (No 4345)
Description
wood, native repair (top of the right horn), base
The “lo” masks appear at funeral celebrations, they are colored black. Women are forbidden to see these masks, which are considered to be particularly dangerous. It is believed that this encounter with death might jeopardize their fecundity.
With the aid of such masks, the people hope to influence supernatural powers, or “yu” spirits, that can do harm to humans, but that can also ensure their welfare.
The object Anthropomorphic mask “tu bodu” from the “lo” group with the object ID 3045817 was last part of the auction 92nd Tribal Art Auction at June 29, 2019 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 148 achieved a sales price of EUR 8,500.
You can find more Masks and other popular object types on our related topic pages. You may also be interested in our page on African art.
Expertise
Certificat d' Authenticité, Christophe Rolley, Bagneux, 12 September 2002