Gouro mask, Ivory Coast Probably end of the... - Lot 44 - Giquello

Lot 44
Go to lot
Estimation :
30000 - 40000 EUR
Gouro mask, Ivory Coast Probably end of the... - Lot 44 - Giquello
Gouro mask, Ivory Coast Probably end of the 19th century Wood with deep dark brown patina, upholstery nails, red pigments and horsehair H. 25 cm - W. 15,5 cm Gouro mask, Ivory Coast H. 9 3/4 in - W. 5 7/8 in Provenance: - European private collection Only one other copy of the remarkable mask presented here is known to date. It belonged to André Lhote and participated in the prestigious and unforgettable gathering of masterpieces of African Negro Art at the Metropolitan Museum in New York in 1935. The morphology of these masks, with human features mixed with an animal touch, places them in a stylistic centre located in the current country of the Bete of Gagnoa, known as Tshien by their gouro neighbours before colonisation. This vast territory in western Côte d'Ivoire, between the Bandama and Sassandra rivers, is organised into three very distinct centres around the towns of Daloa, Soubré and Gagnoa. Its former inhabitants, hunters and warriors have become farmers since coffee and cocoa cultivation flourished at the expense of the rich rainforest. To speak of bété to designate an ancient mask produced at the turn of the 20th century is a simplification that does not take into account the diversity of this territory where multiple groups have been diluted into a bété identity created for colonial convenience, as researcher Jean Pierre Dozon explains: "A questionable ethnonym, multiple origins, a mosaic of tribal groups whose interrelationships and exchange networks extend far beyond the boundaries of the current bété country, such are, briefly summarized, the lessons of pre-colonial history. " Few studies have been devoted to the material culture of this geographical area: in 1962, Denise Paulme, after a few months in the field, was stingy about the masks of the Bété, limiting herself to those of Daloa, which owe much to their wé neighbours in western Côte d'Ivoire. In 1968, Bohumil Holas, for his part, dedicated a book
My orders
Sale information
Sales conditions
Return to catalogue