Face mask "je" · Côte d'Ivoire, Yaure · ID: 3035915
Description
wood, dark brown patina, kaolin, chin plug and framing zigzag beard, crowned by curved horns and bird sculpture, delicate modelled facial features, drilled holes around the rim, rep. (breakages on both horn tips), slight traces of abrasion, base;
the most well-known masks of the Yaure depict a human face with animalic endorsement. They belong to the “je” or “lo” masks, which could take influence on the supernatural forces called “ju”, who are either able to cause harm to the people or secure their well-being. Especially a case of death requires the performance of the masks in order to restitute the social balance and in order to guide the deceased person to the afterworld.
The object Face mask “je” with the object ID 3035915 was last part of the auction 75th tribal art auction at November 30, 2013 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 296 achieved a sales price of EUR 3,500.
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.
Comparing literature
Hahner-Herzog, Iris, Das Zweite Gesicht, Genf, München, New York 1997, ill. 38