A Grebo mask, Ivory Coast, round face with downturned tusks, wide nose, tubular eyes, tubular decoration on both sides of the cheek, a protruding forehead, holes in the rims of the mask to attach a costume; the mask is covered by a substance that is flaking around both eyes. Signs ofuse. Certificate of origin and provenance.

"Only very rare information exists on the original context and use of these so-called ‘geometric’ masks. A single ancient testimony to this type of mask in context, their specific origin and function remain hypothetical due to a lack of documentation and in-depth field studies since the first examples brought back to Europe in the 19th century. Furthermore, it should be noted that the photo in question illustrated by Hugo Zöller in 1885 - considered staged by some - was not taken in Côte d’Ivoire or Liberia but in Cameroon or Gabon. This considerable distance compared to their place of origin can be explained by the movements of some ‘Krumen’ who took their masks with them during their travels, sometimes even to Europe where they sold them.

These masks, most of which disappeared in Liberia due to the ‘Grebo Wars’, represented spirits of nature or the forest as found among the We, Guere and Bete peoples, northern neighbours of the Grebo. Although used for mainly secular purposes today and for collective entertainment as among the Godie and Neyo people of Côte d’Ivoire, they were previously used, according to Alain-Michel Boyer, to “expurgate those who ate "doubles" (or souls for Christians), but that it also played a part in settling ritual conflicts between clans, in the case of a land contest, a hunting problem or the rape of a woman. With its numerous eyes, it could "watch" the fighters, but also "strengthen" them, in order to raise them above their status as men, and turn them into valiant warriors.” This type of mask was also used in funeral dances accompanied by various other animal or more figurative masks. However, for Pierre Boutin, “the information we have [on these masks] is inversely proportional to their artistic fame. Contrary to other ethnic groups in south-western Côte d’Ivoire (We, Bete, Niabwa, etc.), […] we known […] nothing of their function, - entertainment, funerary, initiatory, judicial -, of the frequency of their appearances, - regular or exceptional -, nor the audience permitted to see them - open audience, extended or limited audience, with or without restriction regarding age or gender”.Source: Cohen, Joshua I., ‘Picasso’s Guitar (1912) and Two Ivoirian Masks’ in Colloque Picasso Sculptures, 24 March 2016, p. 3.

Boyer, Alain-Michel, Idem, pp. 141-142.

Boyer, Alain-Michel, Between the seen and the unseen, Paris, Sothe by’s, 12 December 2017, lot 50.

Boyer, Alain-Michel, Grebo Mask, Paris, Sothe by’s, 13 June 2018, lot 26.

Boutin, Pierre, ‘Les masques « krou » de Côte d’Ivoire’ in Afrique, Archéologie, Arts, no. 5, 2007-2009.

sold

Height: 23 cm
Weight: 410 g