A Baule goli mask from Tiebissou region, Ivory Coast. Incl. stand This carved and polychrome wooden mask of the Kple Kple (or Kplé Kplé) type is used in the Goli ritual of the Baule culture. It represents the minor male figure who opens the festivities of this famous dance of entertainment and protection. The mask’s face is shaped like a flat disc—a flattened circular disc. It is entirely painted in a matte reddish-orange color (usually obtained from earth or laterite pigments). The rim of the disc is highlighted by a raised band painted black or dark blue-gray, which clearly delineates the face. The eyes are raised and, unlike the classic almond-shaped eyes, consist here of two very prominent cones or cylinders projecting forward. The tips, or “pupils,” are tinted white and circled in red. With diamond-shaped eyelids, these conical eyes are surrounded by large concentric engraved patterns in the shape of diamonds or almonds, painted in black and white. Just below each eye cone, there is a small, discreet triangular perforation that allowed the dancer to see. Positioned very low on the disc, the mouth is represented by a simple horizontal rectangle in relief, engraved with small teeth or interior lines, and painted in the same dark tones as the border. The top of the mask is crowned by two large bovine (or goat) horns that rise and curve toward each other to form an arch. They feature a dark patina, accented by a light-colored ring or fastener at the top. Behind the decorative disc, one can make out the rough, curved, and voluminous wooden frame, which was designed to conform to the shape of the wearer’s face. A thin cord remains attached to it. These masks "are the first of four mask types that can appear in goli, a Baule dance performed as entertainment and at the funerals of important men. Worn by young boys attired in netted costumes and an animal hide cape, the kple kple is considered to be a junior mask, the least prestigious of goli masks. In the ritual, it would be followed by successively more important male-female mask pairs, culminating in a high-ranking female face mask known as kpan.The kple kple mask is notable for its distinctive flat, circular form surmounted by horns, projecting round eyes, rectangular mouth, and long streamers of raffia attached to its sides. The Baule differentiate its gender through colour. The residual black pigmentation on the round face of this mask suggests it is female. The male mask, often red, would appear alongside it and would be identical in shape. The abstract, geometric features of kple kple are unusual in Baule art, and reflect the fact that the goli dance was borrowed over a hundred years ago from the neighbouring Wan peoples. Through the use of linked male/female pairs, the Baule version of goli stresses the interconnectedness between men and women." Queens University, Ontario, Canada. Kple-Kple masks are one of the great abstractions in African art. They are used in ceremonies related to the Goli festival of the Baule people. The Goli festival is a day-long spectacle in which the whole village participates. It is performed at funerals as well as at memorial services and agricultural events. Goli masquerades involve three rituals during the day: at dawn, in the afternoon and after sunset. Kple kple masks appear at dawn and again briefly in the evening to announce the arrival of Goli Glin, a zoomorphic figure, or a kpwan, an anthropomorphic figure. During the ritual, the mask wearer mediates with supernatural powers that have a positive influence on the villagers. During the festivities, the young male mask-bearers are often wrapped in a goatskin covering their backs and wear a skirt made of raffia with it. The mask is attached to the costume with vegetable fibres. The Baule people are one of the most important tribes in Côte d'Ivoire. Bauli means "the son is dead" and refers to the origin of the tribe. According to a legend, Queen Aba Pokou led her people on an exodus to the gold mining areas in the 18th century and had to cross a river where she had to sacrifice her son to the river god, which earned her people the name Bauli, "the son is dead". In the 19th century, the kingship disintegrated due to internal conflicts, and when the French colonial rulers took over at the beginning of the 20th century, the kingship was disbanded. With their sense of stylisation and attention to detail, the Baule have created some of the most elegant objects in African art for centuries. Today they still produce numerous sculptures and masks with great skill. Literature: The Tribal Arts of Africa, Jean-Baptiste Bacquart, Thames Hudson, London, 1998, p. 48. African Masks, The Barbier-Müller Collection, Iris Hahner, Maria Kecskési and László Vajda. Munich, 2007. pp. 40-41. Baule: African Art, Western Eyes. Susan M.Vogel 1997 Some of the information is generated by artificial intelligence and is based on published sources from the fields of ethnography, archaeology, and art history. Informant: Bakari MAZ15507