Rainbow Mask
Artist: Baule Peoples (African)
Artist: or Yaure Peoples (African)
Date: Early to mid-20th century
Dimensions:
H. 17 3/4 in. (45.1 cm); Max W: 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm).
Medium: Wood, pigment, metal plates, metal tacks.
Place of Origin: Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire)
Classification: Sculpture
Credit Line: Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number: 1973.12
Label Text:Gbagba is a masquerade that mirrors the human world. The masks appear in a sequence that includes human types, animals, and natural phenomena such as the moon or a rainbow, as is probably depicted by this mask. The role of these masks is to “warm the dance space” in preparation for the portrait masks that follow. The form and style of this elegant mask suggest that it may be the work of an artist who sculpted masks in the courtyard of the National Museum of Ivory Coast in the 1940s and 1950s.
Not on view
In Collection(s)