Mask of Bété style - Lot 342

Mask of Bété style Ivory Coast Wood, upholstery nails, vegetable fibers, bells Height: 28 cm The head is structured in a superposition of forms projected in high relief: the visored forehead with two zoomorphic ears, the nose, whose raised wings wrap around the face and point forward, the warthog tusks joining in a continuous line sculpted in the visor. The square mouth is hollowed out. The deeply sculpted inner face is pierced by two small rectangular eyes surmounted by projected eyebrows. The density of the composition is accentuated by the decoration with copper nail heads whose arrangement underlines the powerful volume of the facial projections. The beard is made of vegetable fibers and decorated with bells.