Ivory Coast Zoomorphic Dance Mask, Gouro People, 1950s

Ivory Coast Zoomorphic Dance Mask, Gouro People, 1950s
£1,200.00
A beautifully painted, stylised ritual dance mask with an assertive presence, used by the Gouro people of the Ivory Coast. The mask is in the form of an African wild dog, which in the myths and fables of this region of West Africa, and the way it would be used ritually, is grouped with Hyena masks. These types of masks create a powerful and dangerous image, with certain realistic elements combined from across these culturally associated species. However, their use in these rituals is more complex than this in how the fear is invoked and dispelled for the community, with associations also with laughter, play and clowning.

In African wild dogs, the bared teeth and ears laid back, which this mask shows, is a sign of aggressive posturing, important for a mask whose function is to draw forth a threatening being that must be combatted. The hyena or wild dog dancers are kept separate from the other types of animal, spirit and composite creature masks involved in Gouro dance rituals, dancing off to the side, clowning with clumsy and ridiculous steps that trigger laughter in the community, and to an extent freeing them from the fear these animals inspire. An alluring and complex work of tribal art.

Bibliography: Masques Animaux D’Afrique de L’Ouest, Gabriel Massa & Société Des Amateurs De L’Art Africain. Éditions Sépia, 1995.

Dimensions: H 45cm x D 17cm x W 21.5cm