A Yaure Mask for the Je or Lo Society...

Description

A Yaure Mask for the Je or Lo Society
Cote d'Ivoire, c. early to mid-20th century

Carved with strong conviction, this Yaure mask depicts an anthropomorphic face of elongated oval form, its serene features surmounted by high, upright "rabbit" ears. The small open mouth and the interiors of the ears retain traces of white pigment, contrasting against the dense black surface. The perimeter of the lower face is framed by a sawtooth trim, a refined detail that accentuates the mask's crisp contours and enhances its visual dynamism. A knob at bottom. A tight, grooved and incised plaited coiffure close to the scalp. Rising from the crown on a long neck is a Janus head, with large projecting ears or horns, its bifacial construction extending the mask's vertical silhouette and alluding to the supernatural capacity of seeing in two directions at once. In very good condition, high points rubbed, proper right ear repaired. With a stand.

Masks of this type were central to the Je and Lo society masquerades, which mediated between ancestors and the living, safeguarded communal order, and marked funerary rites. The juxtaposition of naturalistic facial features, ornamental sawtooth perimeter, and an imaginative Janus superstructure exemplifies the Yaure balance of restraint and invention. The darkened patina, enriched by handling and ritual exposure, testifies to the mask's ceremonial use and long cultural history.

Provenance:
Gelbard Collection
Bonhams, New York, 11/13/2007, Lot 2524
Joan Barist, New York, NY
Private Collection, USA

Publication(s):
Expo cat.: "Remnants of Ritual, Selections from the Gelbard Collection of African Art", edited by Arthur Bourgeois and Scott Rodolitz, New York: Ethnos, 2003:10, #24
Published online at the African Heritage Documentation and Research Centre, AHDRC #006076

Exhibition(s):
USA: "Remnants of Ritual, Selections from the Gelbard Collection of African Art":
- University Park, IL: Governors State University, February 2003
- Krannert, IL: Krannert Art Museum, 26 August-26 October, 2003
- Kansas City, MO: Belger Art Foundation/University of Missouri-Kansas City, 2004
- Park Forest, IL: Tall Grass Art Association, 2005

Height: 17 inches



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