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Mask, E57.28

Physical Description

Wooden face mask. Serrated border on lower half. "Combed" hair on upper half. Mouth and eyes outlined with pink and white clay?' paints. Slight inside patina suggests mask might have been used/worn but little.

Research Notes

Yaure (Yaoure, Yohure)
Ivory Coast
Wood
Gu is the wife of Zamble. Her dance is quiet and elegant. Both Gu and Zamble have strong powers which an individual or community may call upon for help. They also may be used in funerals or even for pure entertainment.
Wooden face mask. Serrated border on lower half. "Combed" hair on upper half. Mouth and eyes outlined with pink and white clay?' paints. Slight inside patina suggests mask might have been used/worn but little. "Brief description" indicates collector was in "Gold Coast", "gold fields", etc. 1913-1926. Being directly east of Ivory Coast this is likely time the mask was acquired. Showing little use it is likely that mask was made early part of 20th century. Width(across eye slits)=approx.158mm. Height=approx. 350mm. Depth(across eye slits)=approx. 150mm —Joel A Vanderburg
Africa Collection File: Wooden Mask (Yaure?)
Catalogue card: Bauk mask with narrow pierced eyes, T-shaped nose, small oval mouth, raised scarification at sides of mouth and between the eyes with a serrated and goatee beard.
Ref. Important Tribal art Sotheby's [sic] New York Wednesday May 8, 1996 pg. 74 no. 74
Elsy Leuzinger Art of the World: Africa pg. 109 pl 19.
Franco Monti African masks pg. 114-116

Provenance

Collected by G Ulrich

Measurements

Maximum dimensions (H x W x D): 376 x 210 x 100mm

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