Mask - Baule - Côte d'Ivoire

I purchased, personally, at the Nice market for antiquarians, a small lot of African items (masks, locks, statues) in 1993. The seller, according to him, had acquired them from a colleague who had obtained these pieces from a larger lot, at a Drouot auction in Compiègne in 1985.

This Baoulé mask has a very beautiful patina, including on the inside. It features the peculiarity of a nice period copper repair on the right cheek, which gives it its distinct character.

The headdress shows traces of kaolin, and the head is decorated with copper nails.