A Baule mask from the Tiebissou region, Ivory Coast, incl stand. This wooden mask depicts an elongated human face, with regular, symmetrical features. The surface of the face is black and smooth, with narrow eyes highlighted in red, blue and white. The nose is long and straight, whilst the small, slightly parted mouth reveals carved teeth. Relief patterns, which may resemble scarification marks, are carved into the forehead, temples and cheeks. The headdress is tall and consists of three large sections covered with fine parallel grooves. The face is surrounded by a wide openwork border, pierced with numerous holes and finished with cords and fragments of fibre. The deeply hollowed-out reverse side allowed the wearer to place the mask in front of their face and attach it to a headdress. In the Baoulé arts of Ivory Coast, anthropomorphic masks often present an idealised image of the person: a calm face, fine features, an elaborate hairstyle and orderly body markings. These qualities may express beauty, dignity, self-control and social status. Depending on the region and the community, such masks might be featured in public dances, commemorative ceremonies, funerals or community festivals, accompanied by fibre costumes and music. The perforated rim was probably used to attach textile or plant-based elements that complemented the dancer’s appearance. Baule masks from Tiebissou, a town in central Ivory Coast, are emblematic of the rich artistic traditions of the Baule people. These masks are not only artistic masterpieces but also hold significant cultural and spiritual importance A Baule revelry mask from the Tiebissou region refers to a ceremonial mask made by the Baule people of Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), specifically originating from the Tiebissou area, located in the central part of the country. These masks are meant to entertain and amuse, often accompanied by music, dance, and theatrics. They may feature exaggerated or whimsical features, unlike the more restrained, formal aesthetic of sacred masks like those used in the Goli or Komien traditions. The Baoulé people of Tiébissou are esteemed for their exceptional woodcarving skills, producing artworks that are both aesthetically refined and spiritually significant. In her important publication Baule: "While the relative naturalism and consummate workmanship of Baule objects were praised at the outset, today these objects are appreciated for their subtle rhythms and a beauty that stops short of sweetness. To the Western eye, an essence of Baule style is a balanced asymmetry that enlivens while suggesting stability and calm. [...] To an art historian, the most consistent feature of Baule art, and one expressed across the wide variety of Baule object types, is a kind of peaceful containment. Faces tend to have downcast eyes and figures often hold their arms against the body, so that Westerners might feel that the mood of much classical Baule art is introspective." Susan Vogel , Baule: African Art, Western Eyes, New Haven, 1997, pp. 26-28) Lit.: Susan M. Vogel, Baule. African Art Western Eye, 1997, p. 165; Bernard de Grunne: Über den Baule-Stil und seine Meister. In: Eberhard Fischer/Lorenz Homberger, Afrikanische Meister. Kunst der Elfenbeinküste, Zürich 2014. Alain-Michel Boyer, Baule. Visions of Africa, Milan 2008. Some of the information is generated by artificial intelligence and is based on published sources from the fields of ethnography, archaeology, and art history. Informant: Bakari Inv. No. M///AZ///186///24 The seller guarantees and can prove that the object was obtained legally. The seller was informed by Catawiki that they had to provide the documentation required by the laws and regulations in their country of residence. The seller guarantees and is entitled to sell/export this object. The seller will provide all provenance information known about the object to the buyer. The seller ensures that any necessary permits are/will be arranged. The seller will inform the buyer immediately about any delays in obtaining such permits.