BAULE STYLE MASK 126, Ivory Coast

Photographs © Tim Hamill

 BAULE STYLE
Mask 126
15.5" high x 6.25" wide x 4" deep
$300

The Baule are one of the Akan peoples. They moved west to the Ivory Coast more than 200 years ago and adpted masking traditions from their neighbors, the Guro, Senufo and Yaure peoples. There are three basic types used in a special dance of rejoicing called Goli, symbolizing the social order. This mask is either a Kpan, (with elaborate coiffures and refined carving; they represent the Senior female in Goli ceremonies) or a Ndoma (an idealized portrait mask used at the close of ceremonies). The goatee beard may suggest a hermaphroditic character.            From Baule, by Alain-Michel Boyer.

Although elegantly carved, this Baule mask shows no evidence of age or use and was probably made to be sold.

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