Helmet mask "bo nun amuin" ("bonu amuin/ amwin") · Côte d'Ivoire, Baule · ID: 3046855
not available anymore
Provenance
Maud and René Garcia, Paris, FrancePace Gallery, New York, USA (No 53-0130)
Zemanek-Münster, 27 June 2015, Lot 263
American Private Collection
Size
H: 68 cm
H: 26.8 inch
Description
wood, strongly encrusted sacrificial patina, metal, base
This mask type is called “bo nun amuin” (“gods in (or of) the bush”), or “amuin yasua” (“men’s gods”) and is considered the most sacred mask of the Baule.
Women are forbidden to look at the mask (even during performances). Those that do look risk illness, misfortune or even death.
The masks are danced to protect the village from outsider threats and at the funerals of former dancers and important men. Used also to “discipline” women, “bo nun amuin” masks threaten women into good behaviour.
Their performances are fearsome spectacles, featuring violent behavior and magical feats.
Comparing literature
Vogel, Susan Mullin, Baule, African Art - Western Eyes, New York 1997, p. 205 ff.