Yahoure mask, Ivory Coast - Lot 74

Yahoure mask, Ivory Coast Wood with brown patina, pigments H. 34 cm Deeply interior, this face is sculpted with white-tinted closed eyelids, split at the bottom to allow the wearer to see. The straight nose is flanked by rounded nostrils, the nasal filter discreet but present, joining a small mouth with parted lips. At the corners of the mouth, but also on the forehead and cheeks, scarification marks vary in shape and volume. A frieze of chevrons runs around the periphery. Dominating the high forehead, centered on a motif evoking the shape of an amulet, are large, almost contiguous horns, giving this human face its share of animality. A glossy black whitewash covers the whole, with red accents highlighting the ornamental motifs. A fine example of the type with proven antiquity.