Horn mask of the "dye" mask ensemble ·  Côte d'Ivoire, Guro · ID: 3052136

Description

wood, color pigments, handwritten collection no. “447”, rest., base

“Dye” is a mask ensemble consisting of a large array of animal and human masks. The dancers wear lavish grass fibre costumes, which create an impressive image with their sweeping movements. First of all animal masks appear, acting as a kind of vanguard for the anthropomorphic masks - they are said to “prepare the dance floor” (cf. Fischer, E., 2008, p. 91).

This mask could represent “boli”, the goat, “guä”, the dwarf antelope, or “bui”, the duiker antelope. They have relatively short horns and white spots on their foreheads and snouts.

The object Horn mask of the “dye” mask ensemble with the object ID 3052136 was part of the auction Auction 105 on November 15, 2025, lot number 268 at that time and is currently available for EUR 2,000 in Open sale.

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

Fischer, Eberhard, Guro, Masks, Performances and Master Carvers in Ivory Coast Munich, Berlin, London, New York 2008, p. 122, ill. 95