Junior male mask "kplekple" of the "goli" group ·  Côte d'Ivoire, Baule · ID: 3042804

Description

wood, matt black patina, red and white paint, round mask face, crowned by oval horns carved with tiny ears, eyes with drop-shaped framing, slightly dam., abrasion of paint.
The “goli” masks appear in times of danger (i. e. epidemic diseases, funeral ceremonies). They should accomplish connection with supernatural powers (“amwin”). The “goli” group is looked upon as a family. “Kplekple” (=the son), the mask lowest in rank, appears to announce the appearance of “goli glin” (=father) or “kpwan” (=mother). “Kplekple” is performed by young men, who used to wear goatskins and danced vividly to the songs of children and adolescents.

The object Junior male mask “kplekple” of the “goli” group with the object ID 3042804 was last part of the auction 87th Tribal Art Auction at November 11, 2017 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 235 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,500.

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.