Mask "zauli" · Côte d'Ivoire, Guro · ID: 3038078

Name: Mask "zauli"
SKU: 3038078
Price: 2000 EUR
Availability: SoldOut

sold EUR 2,000

Provenance

Oechslin, Zurich, Switzerland (acquired in Paris in the 1930’s)

Size

H: 40,5 cm

H: 15.9 inch

Description

wood, greyish brown patina, black paint, kaolin, narrow face with delicate facial features, prominent mouth with puckered lips, eyes with lowered lids, superstructure in shape of a cock, min. dam., minor missing parts (both ears, left eye, rim backside), breakage (right leg/wing of the cock), rep. (right eyebrow), abrasion;
“zauli” is the most widespread entertainment masquerade of the Guro people, employing colorful face masks with complex top attachments. Guro historians often called “zauli” mask-beings “djela lu zauli” i. e. “zauli”, daughter of “djela”, thus implying a direct descent from “zamble” and “gu” and their daughter “djela”.The story of “zaulis” appearance involves a father who is so attached to his beautiful daughter that he takes her with him to the sacred forest. There she dies and a mask is created to commemorate her.

The object Mask “zauli” with the object ID 3038078 was last part of the auction 79th Tribal Art Auction at March 21, 2015 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 195 achieved a sales 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.