A Baule mask, Ivory Coast. région de Bouaké, signs of ritual use and age. Incl stand. Baule masks are a central expression of the Baule people’s artistic tradition in central Côte d’Ivoire, reflecting a complex system of aesthetics, social hierarchy, and spiritual mediation. The Baule, part of the larger Akan cultural sphere, are renowned for their finely carved wooden masks and figures, which are employed in both secular and ritual contexts. Masks among the Baule are primarily associated with goli and mblo performances, each with distinct forms and functions within the community’s ceremonial life. The most widely studied category is the mblo mask, which appears in entertainment dances performed in village squares, often in honor of esteemed community members. Mblo masks typically present an oval face with a high, polished forehead, delicately arched eyebrows, downcast almond-shaped eyes, a straight and proportionate nose, and a small, pursed mouth. The serenity of the visage embodies the Baule ideal of bodiless beauty (mbra), emphasizing moral composure and self-control. Ornamentation, such as scarification marks or elaborate coiffures, is rendered in precise relief carving and reinforces the individuality of the subject. Though some mblo masks may represent specific persons, they function as generalized portraits that express the harmony and refinement valued in Baule society. By contrast, goli masks are used in more overtly sacred and social functions, including funerals, initiations, and agricultural celebrations. The goli cycle comprises several mask types, including the round-faced goli kpan and the horned goli glin, each associated with different spirits and degrees of ritual potency. The formal qualities of goli masks vary from the restrained elegance of mblo to more dynamic animal-hybrid forms, reflecting the multivalent relationship between the human and the bush (blolo), or the spiritual wilderness from which many of the Baule’s protective forces are believed to originate. The performative life of Baule masks is as significant as their sculptural form. Masks are animated by costumed dancers who combine choreography with music and oral performance to activate the presence of spirits. As Susan Vogel has observed, Baule masking traditions embody a cyclical rhythm of visibility and concealment: the mask’s power is not merely in its carved form but in its movement and its contextual revelation during ritual appearances.¹ Baule masks entered European collections in the early twentieth century, often divorced from their performative and social context, and were quickly assimilated into the Western canon of “classical” African art. Their refined carving and abstracted physiognomy influenced modernist artists such as Picasso and Modigliani, who responded to the formal economy and spiritual resonance of Baule portrait masks. ¹ Susan Mullin Vogel, Baule: African Art, Western Eyes (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997), 56. References Bacquart, Jean-Baptiste. The Tribal Arts of Africa. London: Thames & Hudson, 2002. Delange, Jacqueline. Sculpture of the Baule People. New York: Viking Press, 1969. Vogel, Susan Mullin. Baule: African Art, Western Eyes. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997. Vogel, Susan Mullin. African Art in the Cycle of Life. New York: The Center for African Art, 1987. Height: 28 cm without stand