Mask "kpelie"
Côte d'Ivoire, Senufo
sold
EUR 2,500
Provenance
Emil Storrer, Zurich, Switzerland (1959)Hans Hess, Basel, Switzerland (1968)
Eduard Hess, Basel, Switzerland
Size
H: 27,5 cm
H: 10.8 inch
Description
wood, blackish brown patina, crowned by curved horns, typical ornamental projections on both sides and at the chin, pierced around the rim, min. dam., slight traces of abrasion
used at remembrance ceremonies. In literature this mask type is called “kpelie”, which comes from the Senufo word for “jumping”. A generic term in later research is “kodal”. Nowadays the plug-like projections on both sides of the chin are simply looked upon as lobes, while the ornamental projections to the sides just have the optical effect to round off the appearance of the mask.