Exquisitely beautiful "kpan" face mask · Côte d'Ivoire, Baule · ID: 3048253
sold
EUR 5,800
Provenance
“White Fathers” (“Pères Blancs”), actually “Society of the Missionaries of Africa”, Mission Museum, Altkirch, Alsace / France (now disbanded)Size
H: 29 cm
H: 11.4 inch
Description
wood, pigments,
This mask captivates through the evenness of its delicate facial features and the accuracy in the elaboration of its hairstyle and jagged beard. The shape of the eyes and the smiling mouth give it a cheerful, friendly expression.
The masks “kpan” (“the senior woman”) appear as the last pair of masks towards the end of the “goli” masquerade festival. They represent the wife of “goli glin” (“the senior man”), and, according to the Baule’s ideas of beauty, correspond to the image of the ideal woman.