A Yaure mask, Ivory Coast, of oval hollowed form, a pointed goatee with ornamental patterns, a protruding beak-like mouth beneath a narrow nose with slitghly emphasized nostrils, framed by slanted slit eyes, square patterns beneath them, topped by arched eyebrows, zoomorphic tapering ears, scarification marks above the bridge of the nose, flanked on both sides by two Kalao (Hornbill) birds, encircled by zigzag patterns, pierced through at the rim for attachment; brown patina, traces of age, ritual use, cracks, several old authentic repairs on the two hornbills, incl. stand, provenance Amadou Bouaflé, Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

"Yaure masks symbolize the 'yu' or spirit power. (...) Yaure masks are worn predominantly on two occasions: the Je celebration and the Lo ceremony. The first purifies the village after a death and helps the deceased's soul on its way to its final resting place. Painted masks are mainly worn by dancers during this ceremony, while for the Lo ceremony, masks covered with black pigments appear. The function of each type of mask is not rigidly fixed, which leads to their appearance during either ceremony."

Lit.: Alain-Michel Boye/Patrick Girard/Marceau Rivière: Arts Premiers de Côte d´Ívoire, Sepia 1997, p. 83-84.

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

sold

Height: 73 cm
Weight: 1,4 kg