A Mblo portrait mask

A Mblo portrait mask with two birds, of hollowed oval form, the chin with a pointed goatee, a pointed round mouth beneath a slender nose, high arched brows, the eyebrows and the nose are connected in the middle, pierced crescent-shaped eyes, half-circle-shaped ears, short hair, on the top of the head two birds who rest their beaks on the forehead, the mask is pierced through at the rim for attachment; a thick black sacrificial patina, remnants of white pigments, clear traces of age and ritual use, incl. stand.

„Old Baule masks with figures are rare - an ever-varied range of birds are a favored motif. Artists and owners chose these for their beauty rather than for any symbolic value.“ Susan M. Vogel, African Art, p. 165.

Lit.: Susan M. Vogel, Baule. African Art Western Eye, 1997, p. 165; Bernard de Grunne: Über den Baule-Stil und seine Meister. In: Eberhard Fischer/Lorenz Homberger, Afrikanische Meister. Kunst der Elfenbeinküste, Zürich 2014. Alain-Michel Boyer, Baule. Visions of Africa, Milan 2008.

600 - 800,- Euro

Height: 33 cm

Weight: 1,4 kg (incl. stand)