Mask "kyäsä" · Côte d'Ivoire, Guro · ID: 3040560
Description
wood, black patina, white and red paint, triangular face with extensive coiffure in three lobes, eyes and mouth pierced, bipartite superstructure with drilled holes for insertion of feather ornament, slightly dam. (nose), missing parts (eyes, superstructure, rim on the backside), crack (chin), abrasion of paint, base;
“kyäsä” is the most important mask type of the “dye” mask ensemble. “Kyäsä” represents a strong man, a kind of war leader. Carrying a mighty tuft of feathers “fäkyä” on his head, a wooden knife in his hand and animal skin at his back. Characteristic feature is a large gash on his cheek, which is missing in present case.
The object Mask “kyäsä” with the object ID 3040560 was last part of the auction 83rd Tribal Art Auction at May 28, 2016 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 191.
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.