Bété-Gouro mask - Lot 49

Bété-Gouro mask Ivory Coast Wood, brass nails H. 36 cm Provenance : - Pierre and Claude Vérité, Paris - Private collection, France, acquired from them in the 1970s Beautiful, powerful and expressive mask sculpted in a style that blends the Bété and Gouro traditions. The face is organized in a rectangle to which the sculptor has added the various volumes forming the face: the nose marked by a vertical band framed by two globular eyes in relief, the mouth with cubic lips open onto teeth, the forehead forming a cap, the face adorned with four pairs of horns whose symbolism remains obscure to this day. The mask retains traces of old brass nails, some of which are still present, that once decorated the mask. Beautiful patina.