Goli kple kple mask, Baoule, Ivory Coast - Lot 76

Goli kple kple mask, Baoule, Ivory Coast Medium-hard wood with brown patina, pigments including lye blue H. 39 cm Note: The highly popular Goli masquerade, borrowed by the Baoule from the Wan, opens with the kple kple, followed by a family of masks. Worn by a young man concealed under a goatskin, the kple kple is accompanied by the songs of teenagers and children, or by instruments giving rhythm to his dance. Our fine example features a circular face, which, in keeping with the style's canons, is schematized to the extreme. The teardrop-shaped gaze is centered on short, tenoned pupils, with a piercing hole underneath to allow the wearer to see. The rectangular mouth opens onto a jagged double row. Small, reddish ears sit at the base of the horns, meticulously ringed. The bright pigments lend great vigor to the object. Inside the mask, an old label and two perforations to which a grip bit was connected. Very old.