A Baule Royal mask

A Baule Royal mask collected in the Didieville region, Ivory Coast with a male figure created on top. Signs of ritual use and age.

Baule royal masks from Côte d’Ivoire are central to the ceremonial, spiritual, and aesthetic life of the Baule people. These masks fall into different categories, reflecting their use in distinct ritual and performative contexts. Among the most significant are the sacred bo nun amuin masks and the portrait face masks known as ndoma. While each type serves different purposes and operates in different ritual settings, both express core Baule ideals of beauty, power, moral order, and social harmony.
The bo nun amuin mask represents powerful and protective bush spirits that safeguard the village and enforce spiritual order. These masks are often large, imposing, and aggressive in appearance. They typically feature horned or animal-like elements—such as protruding tusks, open jaws with carved teeth, and wide, staring eyes—designed to provoke fear and respect. The masks are carved from wood and often coated with layers of sacrificial materials—blood, oil, or clay—giving them a dark, crusted surface. Their performance is restricted to initiated men; they are considered dangerous and are kept hidden in secluded bush shrines. They emerge only for serious ritual occasions, such as funerals of elders or mask dancers, or when the village is under spiritual threat. The dancer wearing the bo nun amuin mask often also dons a full-body costume made of raffia and other organic materials, creating an overwhelming and supernatural presence.
By contrast, ndoma masks are portrait masks used in entertainment and commemorative masquerades known as mblo or gbagba. These masks are not sacred in the same way as the bo nun amuin, and they are performed more publicly, often during festivities or ceremonies that honor individuals within the community. A ndoma mask portrays a specific person—usually someone known for wisdom, beauty, or community service—and captures an idealized version of their facial features. These masks are characterized by smooth, polished surfaces, downcast almond-shaped eyes, delicately carved scarification marks, and elaborate coiffures reflecting real Baule hairstyles. Despite their commemorative function, they are not naturalistic portraits; they instead translate social and moral virtues into visual form. The person honored by the mask may be present at the performance, watching as their idealized likeness is celebrated by dancers, musicians, and the broader community.
The aesthetic principles underlying both types of masks are deeply rooted in Baule culture. Formal beauty—defined by balance, symmetry, restraint, and clarity—is never separated from ethical value. A mask that is “beautiful” is one that manifests the right character: composed, honorable, socially responsible. In this sense, Baule masks are not simply art objects or tools of performance; they are visual articulations of social philosophy. They express not only how people should look, but how they should act and how they should be remembered.
Historically, Baule royal and sacred masks were part of a broader complex of ritual arts that included sculptures, dance, music, and oral performance. The masks functioned within networks of belief involving the ancestors, the bush spirits, and the community’s moral order. In colonial and postcolonial periods, many Baule masks were collected and sold, often removed from their original ritual context. Nevertheless, their design, craftsmanship, and symbolism have continued to influence both local practices and international perceptions of African art. The portrait masks in particular became highly sought-after by early 20th-century European artists and collectors, who were drawn to their serenity and abstraction.
Today, Baule masks are held in museum collections around the world, where they are studied not only as artistic masterpieces but as windows into a highly developed cultural system. Yet within Baule communities themselves, the deeper meanings of these objects persist—as reminders of ancestral power, community ethics, and the enduring role of performance in shaping identity.

References:
Susan Mullin Vogel, Baule: African Art – Western Eyes, Yale University Press, 1997.
Susan Mullin Vogel, Art of the Baule: African Art from Côte d'Ivoire, Museum for African Art, 1990.
Alfred Métraux, “Les masques Baoulé,” Journal de la Société des Africanistes, 1935.
Bernard Dadié, La légende baoulé, Présence Africaine, 1972.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, African Art Collection – Baule Masks.
Museum Rietberg Zürich, Baule mask catalogue entries.
Art Institute of Chicago, “Female Face Mask (Ndoma), Baule People”.

Height: 42 cm without stand
Weight: 1,6 kg incl. stand