A Guro mask, Ivory Coast, Sonolá region, from the Guiritafla village, of oval hollowed form and curved profile, a protruding, closed mouth, a slender, narrow, nose with finely shaped nostrils and sharp-edge bridge, framed by slanted, pierced slit eyes under sickle-shaped brows, traces of white kaolin on the lids, the ears form semicircle with a triangles embedded in the middle, domed forehead, fine grooved hairstyle with a plait above, around the pinned up hair probably a band that has pockets to hold verses of koran, pierced through at the rim for attachment; reddish shiny patina, traces of age and ritual use, provenance Amadou Bouaflé.

This mask is coming from the same village like another excellent Guro-mask, provenance Amadou Bouaflé. And other exemplare of the mask of the Sonolá region, which is coming from the workshop around "the Master of Bouaflé".

Die profanen Guro Masken sind vor allem durch eine starke Individualisierung gekennzeichnet. Die Masken waren zur Unterhaltung der Zusachenden gedacht. Sie stellen Gesichter von Frauen mit verschiedenem gesellschaftlichem Status dar, vielleicht auch Frauen aus anderen Ethnien. 

Lit.: Eberhard Fischer: Guro-Bildhauer. In: Eberhard Fischer/Lorenz Homberger: Afrikanische Meister. Kunst der Elfenbeinküste,Zurüch 2014, p. 23-61.

Amadou Bouaflé, during his performance on 30.12.2019 in his house in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

1.200 - 1.600,- Euro

sold

Height: 29 cm
Weight: 440 g