Face mask of the "mblo" group ·  Côte d'Ivoire, Baule · ID: 3036863

Description

wood, partly shiny patina, dark paint, remains of pigments, plant fibre cord, hollowed base with an oval mask face to the front, crowned by an elaborated coiffure, schematized facial features with scarification marks, rep. (breakage at the back), small missing parts, slight traces of abrasion, base;
“mblo” masks appear at the so-called “gbagba” dances, which are 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, and very occasionally of men particularly associated with the dance. The final appearances of the dance are portraits of known villagers, greeted joyously, fanned and escorted to a chair where they sit briefly before departing. Most “mblo” portrait masks can be recognized by their facial features, their hairstyles, and their scarifications as depictions of known men and women.

The object Face mask of the “mblo” group with the object ID 3036863 was last part of the auction 77th tribal art auction at June 28, 2014 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 189.

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

David, Jean, Baule, Zurich 2001, p. 45