A Yaure mask, of oval, hollowed form, a slightly open mouth with teath showing beneath a slender nose and high arched brows, almond shaped eyes, the head crested, the coiffure five - parted and striated; signs of use. Certificate of origin and provenance. “The Yaure people, 20,000 in total, settled in the territory between the Baule to the west, the Guro to the east and Lake Kossou to the north. They are divided into three main groups living in approximately twenty villages by a council of elders, leads each village. Their language, culture, religion and art are influenced by their powerful neighbors, the Baule and the Guro. Nevertheless, they possess a strong sense of identity and have evolved a characteristic and refined art. The Yaure adorn a variety of everyday objects with figurative representations, but it is their masks that reveal their artistic abilities.” Source: Baquart, Jean-Baptiste. The Tribal Arts of Africa. New York: Thames and Hudson Inc. 1998. Print.