Lunar Mask

Origin: Yaure Tribe, Ivory Coast
Composition: wood, pigment,

Yaure masks symbolize the yu, or spirit power, and often wear lunar symbols. The function of Yaure masks is not rigidly fixed, and they appear at ceremonies serving a variety of functions. The Yaure also carve figures and utilitarian objects, but it is their elegant masks that reveal their artistic abilities.

Writing about a mask extremely similar to this piece, but coming from the Baule tribe, Anne Marie Bouttiaux writes, "Moon masks, which only appear during sacred rituals among the Yaure, are used by the neighboring Baule for entertainment. It's one of the many reversals that can be found, not only among the peoples of the Ivory Coast, but elsewhere in Africa: what was important or true on one side of a geographic border is turned completely on its head on the other. Here we see Africa's cultural give-and-take, so dynamic and inventive it gives the lie to the theory of a 'cold' continent, a stagnant place that lives in an ill-defined past, a society out of step with the forward march of history."

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 20 villages scattered over a rich savannah where baboons, bush-cows, and deer are hunted. A chief, assisted 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.

For a variety of reasons, this is a wonderful mask which we would recommend for the discerning mask collector who also appreciates a beautiful face. It combines the introspection of the traditional Baule Kpan mask with a more abstract rounded face and symbolic lunar scarification, which is not common to masks of this type. The polished patina of the mask separates it from most other older masks which we come upon, yet there is some age and depth provided by the decayed top layer of pigment which continually reminds the viewer that the mask has been around for decades. A beautiful piece and a fine addition to someone looking for an outstanding mask from Côte d'Ivoire.

Please contact us to inquire about this piece at (415) 362-6601 or info@sujaro.com.