Mémoire d’Afrique — Ref. 32
Senufo Kpelié mask — Sénoufo, Côte d’Ivoire — African tribal art — Ref. 32
Description
Carved in wood, with a natural dark patina and marked wear from use. This double-faced mask is characteristic of the funerary and initiatory rituals of the Poro society, embodying ancestral spirits. It displays elongated features, half-closed eyelids, a gridded mouth and raised frontal scarifications. The complex headdress consists of spiralled horns, one of which is broken, as well as a triangular crenellated element at the top. Carved lateral elements accentuate the symmetry of the mask.
Technical details
- Type of piece
- Masque
- Category
- Masks
- Ethnic group
- Sénoufo
- Country
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Materials
- wood
- Dimensions
- H 62 × W 18 × D 33 cm
- Weight
- 3,13 kg
- Estimated dating
- second half 20th c.
- Restoration / losses
- One horn broken
- Laboratory test
- Not tested
- Reference
- 32