Entertainment mask "mblo" ·  Côte d'Ivoire, Baule · ID: 3048801

Description

wood, oiled, kaolin, remains of an old collection label

The term “mblo” is used to describe dance performances that are performed in times of stress, social anxiety or political reversals, to bring relief and entertainment to the community.

“Mblo” performers wear costumes that include portrait and animal face masks, and their dances mimic the behaviour of the character their costumes portray.

Human masks carved in the artistic image of a female are called “ndoma”, meaning “namesake”. “Ndoma” masks usually bear the name of the person represented and during performances, that person is required to be present when her mask appears.

The object Entertainment mask “mblo” with the object ID 3048801 was last part of the auction 98th Auction at March 26, 2022 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 167 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,000.

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.