A Senufo Kpelié wooden mask, Ivory Coast, the oval, hollowed form with a central face, rectangular mouth showing teeth, pointed thin nose, coffee bean eyes with a horizontal slit at its center, a protruding forehead, scarifications all through out the face; shiny patina, sign of use, incl. stand and certificate of origin and provenance.

"Kpelie-masks were worn during funeral sessions By the Poro society. These funeral festivities are marked by masquerades, which symbolically expresses the fundamental dualities in Senufo Thought: mal/female, body, spitit, life/death. In general this type of mask is symbolizing an ideal woman. The unique features which characterize the Kpelie mask include elongated flanges radiating from the bottom part of the mask, which are a reference to the hornbill bird. The horns on the mask refer to the ram, an important sacrificial animal. The nodules on the forehead represent palm nuts as well as vulvas; they are flanked by cicatrization marks that symbolize the twins born to the primordial couple.The significance of the double face are not known, but double- and single- faced Kpelie are used interchangably. "

Holas, B., L´Art Sacré Sénoufo, Limoges, 1978, Facing the Mask, Herreman, Frank, Museum for African Art. s. publ. , Till Foerster, Divination bei den Kafibele-Senufo, Dietrich Reimer Verlag, Berlin.

There are some beautiful documented pictures by Karl-Heinz Krieg, Region of Boundiali, Côte d'Ivoire.

Photography by Karl-Heinz Krieg (1970's).

sold

Height: 37 cm
Weight: 1,6 kg incl. stand