A fragmentary Baule mask

A fragmentary Baule mask, Ivory Coast.

The use of the Baule mask, for ritual and ceremonial performances: Baule masks are used in performances during important social events such as funerals, initiations, and agricultural festivals. The performances are accompanied by music, dance, and storytelling to honor ancestors, invoke blessings, or ensure community harmony.
For Entertainment and Social Commentary, as some masks are used in purely entertainment contexts, performing comedic or satirical roles during festivals. These performances may critique societal behaviors or celebrate communal values.
For mediation with the spirit world, as certain masks are believed to act as intermediaries between the living and the spiritual world. They are used to honor spirits or ancestors, ensuring their guidance and protection for the community. They have protective and purifying roles, and used in rituals to cleanse or protect the community from misfortune, illness, or malevolent spirits.
Initiation Rites: Baule masks play a role in initiation ceremonies where young individuals are introduced to the secrets and traditions of adulthood.
"The Baule masks are not merely objects of beauty but active participants in a dynamic world, mediating between the human and the spiritual, the individual and the community, the past and the present."

Susan Vogel, Baule: African Art, Western Eyes

Height: 29 cm
Weight: 1,7 kg incl, stand