Africa | Ivory Coast
Baule Mask
Ivory Coast
Carved polychrome wood, pigments
Early 20th century
Height: 15 ¾ in. – 40 cm
Provenance
Collection Emerson and Dina Woelffer, Los Angeles
Galerie Ratton, Paris
Publication
Byrnes, The artist as collector,
Newport Beach, Newport Harbor Art Museum, 1975, p. 50.
Baule Mask 40 cm ex coll Woelffer / Galerie Flak
Price on request
Among the Baule people of Cote d’Ivoire, this type of mask is usually the portrait of a well-known individual. Called Ndoma (meaning « double » in the Baule language), these highly refined masks were worn only on special occasions and for ceremonies, notably during the Mblo entertainment dances.
According to Susan Vogel in Baule, African Art, Western Eyes, 1997, these masks appeared rarely and briefly to preserve their beauty. They are known as alie kora, meaning « the meal is burning ». Indeed, when masked dancers appeared at the end of the day, women would run out to admire them, forgetting about the food they were cooking.
This mask calls to mind an ideal image « which follows the canons of human beauty among the Baule, both from an aesthetic and a moral point of view » (Baule: Visions of Africa Series, Boyer, 2008, p. 70).
It perfectly combines elegance and sophistication with an intense power of evocation.
According to Susan Vogel in Baule, African Art, Western Eyes, 1997, these masks appeared rarely and briefly to preserve their beauty. They are known as alie kora, meaning « the meal is burning ». Indeed, when masked dancers appeared at the end of the day, women would run out to admire them, forgetting about the food they were cooking.
This mask calls to mind an ideal image « which follows the canons of human beauty among the Baule, both from an aesthetic and a moral point of view » (Baule: Visions of Africa Series, Boyer, 2008, p. 70).
It perfectly combines elegance and sophistication with an intense power of evocation.
Explore the entire collection
