Face mask of the "mblo" group
Georges Frederick Keller, Paris, France (Inventory No. G. F. K. 156)
Sotheby’s Paris, Collection Paolo Morigi, 6. Juin 2005, lot 106
Description
wood, rich blackish brown patina, well-balanced facial features, a calm expression on the face, elaborate two-parted diadem-like coiffure, raised scarification marks, drilled holes on forehead and temples, drilled holes around the rim, partly broken, old collection number on the inside “G.F.K- 156”, slightly dam., small traces of insect caused damage;
the dances that feature “mblo” masks are always “women’s” dances, so called because women may participate, and because the style of the dance movement is considered feminine and very beautiful. In the minds of the Baule, these masks are associated with the village and with women, although it is of course men who wear them in dances. These dances, called “gbagba”, are for entertainment on the Baule days of rest, the new year, the arrival of important visitors, and the national holiday. The masks also appear at the funerals of important women, and very occasionally of men particularly associated with the dance. The final appearances of the dance are portraits of known villagers, greeted joyously, fanned and escorted to a chair where they sit briefly before departing. Most “mblo” portrait masks can be recognized by their facial features, their hairstyles, and their scarifications as depictions of known men and women. In the past, this entertainment was danced several times a month but in the second half of the twentieth century the masks were losing their cachet, appearing less often - mainly at women’s funerals.