Excellent portrait mask "ndoma" of the "mblo" group · Côte d'Ivoire, Baule · ID: 3038450
Artcurial, Paris, 11 December 2002, lot 60 bis
Sotheby’s, Paris, 15 June 2004, lot 123
Description
wood, rich blackish brown patina, reddish brown in some areas, flat facial plane, excellente mask with regular facial features creating a calm and internalized expression, ornamental arranged scarification marks, fine carved coiffure, slightly dam., crack (coiffure/forehead), one drilled hole on the back broken out, abrasion of paint;
“mblo” masks are always worn by men. They perform at so-called “gbagba”- dances, serving for entertainment on the Baule days of rest, the new year, the arrival of important visitors, and the national holiday. The masks also appear at the funerals of important women. The day ends with the arrival of one or several portrait masks. Portrait masks are called “ndoma” or “double”. The word also means “namesake”, as when two people have the same name. The portraits appear one by one, each escorted by its human “double” and each greeted as honoured guest. The dancers wear beautiful cloth and carry cow-tail fly whisks, fine scarves or fresh green leaves. Most “mblo” portrait masks can be recognized by their facial features, their hairstyles, and their scarifications as depictions of known men and women.
Comparing literature
Vogel, Susan Mullin, Baule, African Art - Western Eyes, New York 1997, p. 157