- 34
Masque, Baulé, Côte d'Ivoire
Estimate
70,000 - 100,000 EUR
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Description
- Baulé
- Masque
- Wood
- haut. 31 cm
- 12 1/5 in
Provenance
Collection Paul Geuthner (1877-1949), Paris
Ricqlès, Drouot-Montaigne, Paris, 28 mai 2000, n°291
Collection privée, acquis lors cette vente
Ricqlès, Drouot-Montaigne, Paris, 28 mai 2000, n°291
Collection privée, acquis lors cette vente
Literature
Arts d'Afrique Noire, n° 80, hiver 1991, couverture
Condition
Please contact department for condition report
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
Relevant du culte de l'adjusu (aussi nommé, selon les régions, gbagba ou mblo), « le masque-portrait ndoma ("double") est l'une des créations les plus étonnantes des Baulé. Ce type de masque, délibérément conçu pour évoquer une personne, est en Afrique exceptionnel » (Alain-Michel Boyer, 2008, p. 69). Par la justesse de ses traits, de l'expression et de l'ornementation, celui-ci constitue un remarquable témoignage d'un corpus considéré comme l'une des formes les plus anciennes de l'art Baulé.
Sculpté en l'honneur d'une personne dont il porte le nom (personnage politique important, danseur ou très belle jeune-fille), le masque-portrait célèbre une image idéale, « qui répond moins à une volonté d'individualisation qu'à un effort de transfiguration » (idem). Considéré par les artistes eux-mêmes comme « le sommet de la sculpture Baulé » (Vogel, 1997, p. 141-142), il en incarne le style fondamental.
Ici, le visage idéalisé exalte une beauté relevant d’une dimension tant esthétique que morale. À l'équilibre absolu du volume répond l'expression intériorisée de la bouche et des yeux mi-clos, tandis que la force des traits finement modelés est accentuée par le rayonnement de la coiffure en diadème et des scarifications. Signifiées par des têtes de clous en cuivre, ces dernières mettent superbement en valeur les reflets de la patine laquée, témoignage de sa grande ancienneté.
La remarquable inventivité formelle et plastique étant l'essence même des masques-portraits, leur classification en corpus stylistiques demeure difficile. Cependant la parenté entre ce masque et ceux attribués par Susan Vogel (1999, p. 52-55) au "Maître de Totokro", permet de situer vraisemblablement son origine dans la région d'Agba. Voir également Delange (1967, n°60) et Lehuard (in Arts d'Afrique Noire n°13, 1975, p. 7, n°6) pour un masque proche, de la collection Léonce et Pierre Guerre.
Baule mask, Ivory Coast
A part of the adjusu cult (also known as gbagba or mblo in other areas), the ndoma ("double") "portrait-mask" is one of the most striking Baule creations. This type of mask - deliberately designed to evoke a person - is unique in Africa" (Alain-Michel Boyer, 2008, p. 69). The one at hand, in the perfection of its outline and decor, is a remarkable specimen of a corpus that is considered as one of most ancient forms of Baule art.
Sculpted to honour the person whose name it bears (an important political figure, a dancer or a beautiful maiden), the portrait mask celebrates an ideal image, "which is not so much a means of individualisation as of transfiguration" (ibid). Considered by the artists themselves as "the epitome of Baule sculpture" (Vogel, 1997, p. 141-142), it is the very embodiment of its fundamental style.
In this specimen, the face, with its idealized features, exalts human beauty both in its aesthetic and moral dimension. The perfect harmony of the features is echoed in the mindfulness of the expression of the mouth and half-closed eyes, whilst the force of the finely crafted features is enhanced by the effulgence of the diadem shaped coiffure and scarification. Marked by copper studs, the latter beautifully highlights the sheen of the lacquered patina, a sign of its great age.
The very essence of portrait-masks lies in their high degree of inventiveness, both in terms of form and of aesthetics, which in turns makes their classification within a precise stylistic corpus difficult. However, the similarities between this mask and those attributed by Susan Vogel (1999, p. 52-55) to "the Master of Totokro" make it possible to trace its probable origin to the Agba region. See also Delange (1967, No. 60) and Lehuard (in Arts d'Afrique Noire No. 13, 1975, p. 7, No. 6) for a related mask in the Léonce and Pierre Guerre Collection.
Sculpté en l'honneur d'une personne dont il porte le nom (personnage politique important, danseur ou très belle jeune-fille), le masque-portrait célèbre une image idéale, « qui répond moins à une volonté d'individualisation qu'à un effort de transfiguration » (idem). Considéré par les artistes eux-mêmes comme « le sommet de la sculpture Baulé » (Vogel, 1997, p. 141-142), il en incarne le style fondamental.
Ici, le visage idéalisé exalte une beauté relevant d’une dimension tant esthétique que morale. À l'équilibre absolu du volume répond l'expression intériorisée de la bouche et des yeux mi-clos, tandis que la force des traits finement modelés est accentuée par le rayonnement de la coiffure en diadème et des scarifications. Signifiées par des têtes de clous en cuivre, ces dernières mettent superbement en valeur les reflets de la patine laquée, témoignage de sa grande ancienneté.
La remarquable inventivité formelle et plastique étant l'essence même des masques-portraits, leur classification en corpus stylistiques demeure difficile. Cependant la parenté entre ce masque et ceux attribués par Susan Vogel (1999, p. 52-55) au "Maître de Totokro", permet de situer vraisemblablement son origine dans la région d'Agba. Voir également Delange (1967, n°60) et Lehuard (in Arts d'Afrique Noire n°13, 1975, p. 7, n°6) pour un masque proche, de la collection Léonce et Pierre Guerre.
Baule mask, Ivory Coast
A part of the adjusu cult (also known as gbagba or mblo in other areas), the ndoma ("double") "portrait-mask" is one of the most striking Baule creations. This type of mask - deliberately designed to evoke a person - is unique in Africa" (Alain-Michel Boyer, 2008, p. 69). The one at hand, in the perfection of its outline and decor, is a remarkable specimen of a corpus that is considered as one of most ancient forms of Baule art.
Sculpted to honour the person whose name it bears (an important political figure, a dancer or a beautiful maiden), the portrait mask celebrates an ideal image, "which is not so much a means of individualisation as of transfiguration" (ibid). Considered by the artists themselves as "the epitome of Baule sculpture" (Vogel, 1997, p. 141-142), it is the very embodiment of its fundamental style.
In this specimen, the face, with its idealized features, exalts human beauty both in its aesthetic and moral dimension. The perfect harmony of the features is echoed in the mindfulness of the expression of the mouth and half-closed eyes, whilst the force of the finely crafted features is enhanced by the effulgence of the diadem shaped coiffure and scarification. Marked by copper studs, the latter beautifully highlights the sheen of the lacquered patina, a sign of its great age.
The very essence of portrait-masks lies in their high degree of inventiveness, both in terms of form and of aesthetics, which in turns makes their classification within a precise stylistic corpus difficult. However, the similarities between this mask and those attributed by Susan Vogel (1999, p. 52-55) to "the Master of Totokro" make it possible to trace its probable origin to the Agba region. See also Delange (1967, No. 60) and Lehuard (in Arts d'Afrique Noire No. 13, 1975, p. 7, No. 6) for a related mask in the Léonce and Pierre Guerre Collection.