This Yaure wedding mask from the Zagota region in central Ivory Coast belongs to a mask tradition closely linked within Yaure society to notions of beauty, social harmony, and ceremonial representation. Culturally situated between the Baule and Guro groups, the Yaure developed a distinctive visual language that combines elegant human physiognomies with symbolic animal motifs and complex ornamentation. Wedding and festive masks served to publicly display societal ideals and reinforce social bonds. Incl stand. The mask is crowned by a three-part hairstyle upon which three birds perch. The larger central bird dominates the composition and is flanked by two smaller ones. With their lowered heads and finely crafted feather structures, the animals appear as symbols of vigilance, fertility, or spiritual mediation. The hairstyle, set off from the forehead by a narrow headband, and the triangular patterns on the sides lend the design a balanced, architectural order. The face itself is characterized by quiet elegance. The almost closed, sculpted eyes and the sweeping eyebrows convey an expression of inner composure. Delicate incised ornaments on the temples and forehead emphasize the mask's refined beauty. Particularly noteworthy is the tubular, perforated mouth, which evokes the impression of whistling or singing, thus suggesting the mask's performative dimension. The grooved, conical beard completes the vertical composition. A glossy patina and slight signs of wear attest to prolonged ceremonial use. Literature (Selection) Fischer, Eberhard / Homberger, Lorenz: The Art of the Ivory Coast. Zurich 1979. Vogel, Susan Mullin: Africa Explores: 20th Century African Art. New York 1991. Himmelheber, Hans: The Art of the Ivory Coast. Munich 1964. Cole, Herbert M.: Icons: Ideals and Power in the Art of Africa. Washington D.C. 1989. Vandenhoute, Claude: Masques and traditional societies of Côte d'Ivoire. Paris 1975. MAZ14653