GUERE MASKS, Liberia and Ivory Coast

GUERE Mask 319 21.5" high SOLD

GUERE Mask 325 13" high $1200

Despite their appearance, we do not believe the Guere masks below have seen actual tribal use.

GUERE Mask 308 18" high $1200

GUERE Mask 324 32" high $1000

GUERE Mask 315 15" high $700

GUERE Mask 316 11 - 19" high $500

GUERE Mask 321 15" high $600

GUERE Mask 311 20" high $400

GUERE Mask 318 25" high $1200

GUERE Mask 323 23" high $800

GUERE Mask 317 12.5" high SOLD

GUERE Mask 361 12.5" high $300

GUERE Mask 362 11.5" high SOLD

Living in along the western edge of the Ivory Coast, the Guere and their neighbors the Wobe share numerous customs and beliefs. Although they are separate tribes, the two peoples are often referred to as the We, whose name means "men who easily forgive."

According to Jean-Baptiste Bacquart in his excellent book The Tribal Arts of Africa, We carvers focused on sculpting powerful face masks to which paraphernalia such as shells, bells, nails and feathers were added which were thought to reinforce the power of the masks.

The ferocious aspect of Guere masks - bulging eyes, open mouths and sometimes protruding horns - accounts for their identification as "war" masks but, according to Bacquart, they are worn primarily during funerals and - in a"detective" capacity - to single out guilty persons.