A Baule Monkey mask

A Baule Monkey mask with fabrics, signs of age and ritual use.

Baule monkey masks and statues occupy a powerful and enigmatic place within the spiritual and ritual life of the Baule people of Côte d’Ivoire. These works, often striking and emotionally charged, are linked not to beauty or social portraiture like other Baule creations, but to the mysterious, the protective, and the wild forces of the forest. Known as gbekre or kplekple gbe, the monkey figures and masks are associated with rituals of protection and justice, sometimes called upon in times of social tension, conflict, or spiritual imbalance.

The monkey statues are carved with expressive features, crouched or seated, with tense, muscular bodies and strong facial expressions. They exude a sense of raw power and alertness, with exaggerated jaws or open mouths that suggest aggression or warning. These figures are believed to be inhabited by potent spirits and are kept in sacred enclosures or shrines, often receiving offerings such as food or libations. Their surfaces may be encrusted from years of ritual use, bearing witness to their role as intermediaries between the human and spirit world.

Baule monkey masks, which may appear during masquerades or in private rituals, are equally arresting. Their stylized features—round eyes, elongated snouts, and sometimes fearsome expressions—are meant to provoke awe and respect. These masks are not merely decorative; they act as vessels for forest spirits that help protect the community, reinforce taboos, and restore spiritual order. The presence of the monkey, both feared and revered, reflects a worldview in which nature is alive with unseen forces that must be respected and ritually engaged.

Unlike the calm, composed elegance of Baule portraiture, monkey masks and statues communicate intensity, urgency, and the unpredictable forces of the bush. They are objects of power, not beauty—designed not to please but to serve and command, to channel the unseen, and to stand watch at the edges of the visible world.

Barbara C. Johnson: The "Monkey Figure" of the Baule: A Protective Spirit in Art and Ritual, in: African Arts, Vol. 25, No. 2 (1992), S. 56–67.
Ein wegweisender Aufsatz zur Interpretation und rituellen Funktion der sogenannten gbekre-Figuren, mit konkreten Beispielen aus Feldforschung und Sammlungen.

Susan Vogel: Baule Monkey Figures and the Idea of the Wild, in: Art/Artifact (Ausstellungskatalog), The Museum for African Art, New York 1988.
Ein essayistischer Text, der die kulturelle Bedeutung des „Wilden“ im Baule-Weltbild analysiert und Affenfiguren als symbolische Grenzgänger zwischen Gesellschaft und Natur betrachtet.

Jean-Paul Colleyn: Les figures de singe dans l’art africain, in: Arts d’Afrique Noire, Nr. 90, 1994, S. 22–33.
Französischsprachiger Beitrag, der Affendarstellungen bei verschiedenen westafrikanischen Ethnien (u.a. Baule, Senufo, Dan) vergleicht und ihre rituelle Mehrdeutigkeit beleuchtet.

Bruno Claessens, Jean-Louis Danis: Baule Monkeys (französisch: Singes Baule), Brüssel: Fonds Mercator / Yale University Press, 2016.
Das bislang umfassendste Werk zu Baule-Affenfiguren. Mit exzellenter Bilddokumentation und analytischen Essays zu Stilgruppen, Funktionszusammenhängen und Zuschreibungen einzelner Figuren an anonyme Meister. Ein Standardwerk für Sammler, Kuratoren und Wissenschaftler gleichermaßen.

Height: 28 cm without stand
Weight: 1,5 kg incl. stand