A double face Yaure celebration mask collected in Bouaflé region, Ivory Coast, pigments of white kaolin, touch patina; signs of ritual use and age. Incl stand. The difference between both: While both the Yaure and Baule peoples use masks in religious and cultural contexts, the design, symbolism, and function of the masks differ. Baule masks are more focused on naturalism and beauty, with serene, human-like faces representing spiritual and ancestral connections. In contrast, Yaure masks are more abstract and symbolic, with exaggerated features that invoke the power of spirits and deities, offering protection and spiritual guidance to the community. Both mask traditions reflect the societies' deep connections to spirituality and their reliance on masks as tools to communicate with the unseen world. "Yaure masks symbolize the 'yu' or spirit power. (...) Yaure masks are worn predominantly on two occasions: the Je celebration and the Lo ceremony. The first purifies the village after a death and helps the deceased's soul on its way to its final resting place. Painted masks are mainly worn by dancers during this ceremony, while for the Lo ceremony, masks covered with black pigments appear. The function of each type of mask is not rigidly fixed, which leads to their appearance during either ceremony." Lit.: Alain-Michel Boye/Patrick Girard/Marceau Rivière: Arts Premiers de Côte d´Ívoire, Sepia 1997, p. 83-84. Susan M. Vogel: Baule: African Art Western Eye, 1997, p. 169 (169-187); Bernard de Grunne: Über den Baule-Stil und seine Meister. In: Eberhard Fischer/Lorenz Homberger: Afrikanische Meister. Kunst der Elfenbeinküste, Zurüch 2014, p. 81-106; Alain-Michel Boyer: Baule. Visions of Africa, Milan 2008. Height: 28 cm without stand