Face mask "kpan" · Côte d'Ivoire, Baule · ID: 3034592

Name: Face mask "kpan"
SKU: 3034592
Availability: Discontinued

not available anymore

Provenance

Yann Ferrandin, Paris, France

Size

H: 32 cm

H: 12.6 inch

Description

wood, rich honey brown patina, dark brown paint, kaolin, a beautiful modelled face with regular facial features, showing reduced clear forms, the three-parted chignon-coiffure in concentrical zigzag-lines separated from the facial plane, accentuated with kaolin just like the tiny mouth, the face entirely framed by a filigree zigzag-beard in openwork design (mostly broken), knob-like projection at the chin, slightly dam., hairline crack (forehead), missing parts (at the back of the rim), metal socle;
“kpan” masks are part of the “goli” masquerade, a day-long performance that involves the entire village population and which displays four pairs of masks. They appear two by two in a fixed order: first a pair of disc-faced masks (“kple kple”), next a pair of animal helmet masks (“goli glen”), third a pair of horned face masks (“kpan pre”), and finally two human-faced masks (“kpan”). This popular event takes place during an important event such as the death of a notable or a major celebration. The “kpan” are the last to take part in the show, their appearance remaining exceptional; the ornamentation and colours are equally attributed to the two sexes, nothing making it possible to distinguish them clearly and their role remaining ambivalent. Although we still have a great many examples of Baule art, including statuettes and masks, “kpan” masks of this type are extremely rare.

The object Face mask “kpan” with the object ID 3034592 was last part of the auction 72nd tribal art auction at March 9, 2013 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 286.

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.