Mask "kpélié" · Côte d'Ivoire, Senufo · ID: 3043572
Lore & Georg Kegel, Hamburg, Germany
Description
wood, dark brown patina, typical form with lateral ornamental projections, surmounted by a chameleon, rep. (breakages at projections and lower rim), small missing parts, traces of insect caused damage (back), handwritten collection number “S 11”, slight traces of abrasion.
Among the Senufo, mask characters are in close relationship with the “poro” initiation society and funeral celebrations. “Kpélié” is carved by “kulebele” sculptors. Its purpose at funeral rituals is to lead the spirits of the deceased members of the family into the peaceful land of the dead, and at harvest festivals, to thank the ancestors and the land spirits for good crops.
The object Mask “kpélié” with the object ID 3043572 was last part of the auction 88th Tribal Art Auction at March 10, 2018 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 229 achieved a sales price of EUR 4,500.
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.
Publications
AHDRC: 0150473