Yaure mask Wood with ritual patina, incl stand Bouaflé region, central Côte d'Ivoire Private Collection This refined Yaure mask originates from the Bouaflé region of central Côte d'Ivoire, the historical heartland of the Yohouré people. The area forms a cultural transition zone between Baule and Guro traditions, resulting in a highly distinctive sculptural style known for its elegance, precision, and controlled symmetry. The mask is characterized by the typical Yaure idealized face: a narrow oval form, half-closed almond-shaped eyes, a delicate mouth, and finely incised scarification patterns. A particular feature of the Bouaflé tradition is the elaborate coiffure with carefully carved raised elements and the finely articulated border framing the face. These details reflect ideals of beauty, status, and spiritual refinement. Unlike the more rounded Baule masks, Yaure works are recognized for their flatter, more graphic appearance and exceptional linear clarity. Such masks were used in Lo masquerades, where they represented powerful spiritual beings associated with protection, social order, and communication between the human and ancestral worlds. The Yaure art of the Bouaflé region in Côte d’Ivoire is distinguished by its elegant and strictly balanced formal language. Situated in a cultural transition zone between the Baule and Guro peoples, the region developed its own distinctive style, characterized by finely modeled faces, clear lines, and a strong emphasis on symmetry. Typical features of Yaure sculptures from Bouaflé include calm, half-closed eyes, narrow facial forms, and carefully elaborated hairstyles. The masks are particularly known for their graphic contours, geometric details, and symbolic elements representing spiritual forces. Compared to the softer forms of Baule art, Yaure works often appear more concentrated, more restrained, and more highly stylized. Selected Literature Fischer, Eberhard & Homberger, Lorenz (eds.). African Masters: Art from Côte d'Ivoire. Museum Rietberg / Musée du quai Branly, 2014. Glaze, Anita J. Art and Death in a Senufo Village. Indiana University Press, 1981 (comparative masking traditions in Côte d'Ivoire). Himmelheber, Hans. Negerkünstler: Ethnographische Studien über den Schnitzkünstler bei den Atutu und Guro in der Elfenbeinküste. Stuttgart, 1935. Loucou, Jean-Noël et al. Arts de Côte d'Ivoire dans les collections du Musée Barbier-Mueller. Musée Barbier-Mueller, Geneva, 1993. Neyt, François. Trésors de Côte d'Ivoire. Fonds Mercator, Brussels, 2014. Vogel, Susan M. Baule: African Art – Western Eyes. Yale University Press, 1997. Cole, Herbert M., & Ross, Doran H. The Arts of Ghana. UCLA Museum of Cultural History, 1977 (comparative Akan and neighboring sculptural traditions). Inv. No. MAZ17624 Informant Bakari Bouaflé