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Lot 81

Baule Portrait Mask, Côte D'Ivoire

13 November 2018, 11:00 EST
New York

Sold for US$6,250 inc. premium

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Baule Portrait Mask, Côte D'Ivoire

ndoma
height 9 3/4in (25m)

Provenance
European Private Collection

"Baule art", notes Susan Vogel, "has remained at the core of the Western canon of African art, even as ideas about the canon have evolved and tastes have changed. While the relative naturalism and consummate workmanship of Baule objects were praised at the outset, today these objects are appreciated for the subtle rhythms and a beauty that stops short of sweetness. To the Western eye, an essence of Baule style is a balance asymmetry that enlivens while suggesting stability and calm." (Baule - African Art, Western Eyes, Yale University Art Gallery, 1997, p. 26)

This apparent symmetry Vogel describes is illustrated in the present work with the left eye and ear slightly higher than the right; of oval form with serrated edge as the boarder, the coiffure with incised zigzag decoration above a broad, concave forehead, arched eyebrows lead to a long, linear nose above pursed lips; raised scarification between the eyebrow, on the temples and on each cheek; fine, encrusted dark brown with kaolin highlights to the eyes and mouth.

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