Mask "gla" · Côte d'Ivoire, Bete / Wè-Guéré or Kru · ID: 3041760
Walter Schmidt, Würzburg/Innsbruck, Germany/Austria
Description
wood, shiny blackish brown patina, metal nails, the face consists of geometrical forms projecting from a plane back-panel and clamp-like projections arranged horizontally in front of the face, field of vision riddled with small holes, slightly dam., minor missing parts (field of vision);
present mask type which rather resembles a knights helmet with visor, originally was used by warriors. In later times it appears at celebrations, particularly funerals, or at the ceremony marking the end of mourning, or in honour of an important person.
The object Mask “gla” with the object ID 3041760 was part of the auction 86th Tribal Art Auction on May 27, 2017. The object with the lot number 18 achieved a sales price of EUR 2,600 with an asking price of EUR 2,000.
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
Barbier, Jean Paul (ed.), Art of Côte d' Ivoire, Vol II, Genève 1993, p. 89
Publications
AHDRC: 0141959