A Yaure mask

A Yaure mask, Bouaflé region, Ivory Coast, incl stand.

This wooden mask features an oval, elongated face, slightly domed, covered in an antique patina of reddish-brown, grey and earthy tones. The eyes are reduced to two narrow slits beneath large eyebrow arches that meet above a long, straight nose. The mouth, small and protruding forwards, reinforces the face’s restrained expression. The prominent forehead is surmounted by a sculpted, dome-shaped headdress, defined by deep grooves and edged with an incised herringbone pattern. The thick sides feature several perforations intended for attaching additional elements. The back, which is largely hollowed out, indicates that the mask was designed to be worn in front of the face.

In the Yauré traditions of Côte d’Ivoire, anthropomorphic masks form part of ritual ensembles in which sculpture, costume, dance and music came together to form a complete performance. Some were used in male-dominated and funerary contexts, in connection with the ancestors and the powers of the unseen world. The balance of the forms, the almost closed eyes and the calm expression may evoke restraint, dignity and self-control.

“The Yaure people, 20,000 in total, settled in the territory between the Baule to the west, the Guro to the east and Lake Kossou to the north. They are divided into three main groups living in approximately twenty villages by a council of elders, leads each village. Their language, culture, religion and art are influenced by their powerful neighbors, the Baule and the Guro. Nevertheless, they possess a strong sense of identity and have evolved a characteristic and refined art.
The Yaure adorn a variety of everyday objects with figurative representations, but it is their masks that reveal their artistic abilities.”

Source: Baquart, Jean-Baptiste. The Tribal Arts of Africa. New York: Thames and Hudson Inc. 1998. Print

In many Yaure masks from the Bouaflé region, the design is enhanced by finely carved scarification patterns on the cheeks or temples and a carefully structured hairstyle, or even a crest rising above the head. The upper parts sometimes feature stylised or abstract animal motifs, symbolising the presence of spiritual forces (yu spirits) that the mask is believed to embody. The surface is often covered with a dark, glossy patina that accentuates the mask’s depth and sacred solemnity.

Although some are often referred to as ‘wedding masks’ on the art market, Yaure masks are more widely associated with rituals of social regulation, funeral ceremonies and the masked dances of the Je/Lo associations. In these contexts, the mask serves as a mediator between the human community and the spirit world, restoring balance following death or during significant transitions in community life.

Within Yaure artistic production, and more specifically in the Bouaflé region, these masks are renowned for their extreme formal refinement and their ability to contain emotions. Rather than resorting to expressive drama, they embody an ideal of inner balance, moral order and spiritual authority.

Reference list (selection)

Alain-Michel Boyer, “The Yaure of Côte d’Ivoire: Making the Gods Dance,” Fondation Barbier-Mueller
Mask Museum AFCI021, Yaure Lo Mask documentation, Je ceremony funerary use, Côte d’Ivoire
Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Yaure mask object records, ritual mediation and stylistic traits
Barbier-Mueller Museum, Arts of Côte d’Ivoire: Yaure traditions, masks and spiritual function
Catawiki auction archives, Yaure masks from Bouaflé region, stylistic analysis and ceremonial context.

Some of the information is generated by artificial intelligence and is based on published sources from the fields of ethnography, archaeology, and art history.

Informant: Bakari

Inv. No. MAZ18639

Height: 25 cm
Weight: 870 g (incl. stand)