Face mask ·  Côte d'Ivoire, Bété · ID: 3030418

Description

wood, black patina, kaolin, raised vertical forehead ridge, curved eyebrows in herringbone pattern carved in flat relief, metal teeth, drilled holes around the rim, slightly dam., minor missing parts (nose, mouth, backside), paint rubbed off;
the most famous Bete masks are those which look like a medieval helmet, with the tusks crossing the face from one side to the other and thus forming a sort of visor (copied from the Ngere masks). Lesser used are masks which combine stylistic elements of the Dan, like the forehead ridge, or metal teeth with characteristics of the other surrounding ethnical groups, as is the case with present mask.