A double face Senufo Kpelie-mask, from the Sinematiali region, Ivory Coast, with bent horns an a kalao on top; natural brownish patina, partly glossy, incl. stand. The double-faced Kpelié mask occupies a distinctive position within Senufo masquerade traditions, both formally and conceptually. While single-faced Kpelié masks are more common and widely documented, the double-faced variant intensifies the mask’s symbolic function by materializing duality, balance, and heightened spiritual presence. Kpelié masks are associated with the Poro society and appear primarily in funerary ceremonies and commemorative performances honoring respected elders. They are worn not as face coverings but attached to the top of the head, allowing the dancer’s face to remain visible. This mode of wearing emphasizes that the masquerader is not transformed into a spirit but rather acts as a living intermediary who momentarily channels ancestral and moral forces. The double-faced form reinforces this mediating role by presenting two outward-looking visages, often oriented front and back, suggesting omnidirectional awareness and vigilance. Formally, the faces of double Kpelié masks adhere to Senufo aesthetic ideals: elongated oval faces, narrow or downcast eyes, refined noses, and controlled, symmetrical features. These characteristics express Poro values of composure, self-discipline, and moral restraint. The doubling of the face does not imply emotional or psychological opposition; rather, it underscores completeness and equilibrium. In Senufo cosmology, social harmony depends on balance between complementary forces such as youth and age, visibility and secrecy, life and death. The double face visually encodes this principle. On a symbolic level, the two faces are often interpreted as signifying the coexistence of the visible and invisible worlds. During funerary contexts, the mask operates at a threshold moment when the deceased transitions into the ancestral realm. The double-faced Kpelié thus becomes an image of passage and continuity, simultaneously oriented toward the community of the living and the domain of the ancestors. Its presence affirms that death does not rupture social order but is absorbed into an enduring moral and genealogical structure governed by Poro. The rarity of double-faced Kpelié masks suggests that they may have been reserved for particularly significant occasions or individuals of elevated status. Their visual complexity heightens the ceremonial gravity of the masquerade, while remaining consistent with the restrained elegance that characterizes Senufo sculpture more broadly. As with other Poro-related objects, the mask’s meaning is activated through performance, movement, and sound, rather than residing solely in its sculptural form. In museum contexts, the double-faced Kpelié mask is often read as an object of aesthetic innovation, yet within its original setting it functioned as a disciplined visual statement about social continuity, moral authority, and the controlled presence of the spiritual world within communal life. The double-faced Kpelié mask occupies a distinctive position within Senufo masquerade traditions, both formally and conceptually. While single-faced Kpelié masks are more common and widely documented, the double-faced variant intensifies the mask’s symbolic function by materializing duality, balance, and heightened spiritual presence. Kpelié masks are associated with the Poro society and appear primarily in funerary ceremonies and commemorative performances honoring respected elders. They are worn not as face coverings but attached to the top of the head, allowing the dancer’s face to remain visible. This mode of wearing emphasizes that the masquerader is not transformed into a spirit but rather acts as a living intermediary who momentarily channels ancestral and moral forces. The double-faced form reinforces this mediating role by presenting two outward-looking visages, often oriented front and back, suggesting omnidirectional awareness and vigilance. Formally, the faces of double Kpelié masks adhere to Senufo aesthetic ideals: elongated oval faces, narrow or downcast eyes, refined noses, and controlled, symmetrical features. These characteristics express Poro values of composure, self-discipline, and moral restraint. The doubling of the face does not imply emotional or psychological opposition; rather, it underscores completeness and equilibrium. In Senufo cosmology, social harmony depends on balance between complementary forces such as youth and age, visibility and secrecy, life and death. The double face visually encodes this principle. On a symbolic level, the two faces are often interpreted as signifying the coexistence of the visible and invisible worlds. During funerary contexts, the mask operates at a threshold moment when the deceased transitions into the ancestral realm. The double-faced Kpelié thus becomes an image of passage and continuity, simultaneously oriented toward the community of the living and the domain of the ancestors. Its presence affirms that death does not rupture social order but is absorbed into an enduring moral and genealogical structure governed by Poro. The rarity of double-faced Kpelié masks suggests that they may have been reserved for particularly significant occasions or individuals of elevated status. Their visual complexity heightens the ceremonial gravity of the masquerade, while remaining consistent with the restrained elegance that characterizes Senufo sculpture more broadly. As with other Poro-related objects, the mask’s meaning is activated through performance, movement, and sound, rather than residing solely in its sculptural form. In museum contexts, the double-faced Kpelié mask is often read as an object of aesthetic innovation, yet within its original setting it functioned as a disciplined visual statement about social continuity, moral authority, and the controlled presence of the spiritual world within communal life. CAB32238