BAULE MASK

The Baule are inhabitants of the center and east of Ivory Coast, where they arrived from Ghana in the first third of the XVIII Century. In Ghana, they had learnt to dominate the use of metal, like the Ashanti, and in their new location, they had to learn from the Guro how to work with wood. The combination of their old ability together with the new training, gave as a result a technically superior art, and an balanced esthetic.

Kple-kple mask (not available)

71 cm high and 49 cm wide reproduction of a kple-kple mask, carved by a Baule artisan. The face refers to the sun, and the sunbeams are represented by polychromed triangles. The horns are said to stand for the buffalo, the symbol of fecundation. The soft patina used, is an evidence that the search of the beauty is one of the most features of the Baule art. The masks are used in commemorative, agricultural and burial ceremonies. The Baule do not have initiation rites.