Baule style mask - Lot 228

Baule style mask Ivory Coast Wood Height : 48 cm This mask is surmounted by a standing female figure, the umbilicus prominent and the hands on the breasts projected forward. The angular face is tense, the hairstyle is in a braided bun. The closed eyes express interiority and contemplation while the mouth gives her a hieratic expression mixing grandeur and authority. Her imposing stature is animated by the prodigious dynamics of the lines and the superbly mastered tension of the convex and concave curves. The main face has slitted almond-shaped eyes, a high and rounded forehead and a long nose. The fine hemmed mouth is highlighted by scarifications at the corners of the mouth, echoing the temporal scarifications.