Wè-Guéré mask, Ivory Coast

12” tall by 10” wide by 6.5” deep
wood, metal, string, pigment
ex collection of Luigi Pellettieri
There are 3 collection numbers on the inside of the mask:
”77.37.6” and “70-13-5’’ and “82”

The masking society amongst the Wè is called Gla. The Wè explain the arrival of Gla in their villages as the result of an encounter between a founding lineage ancestor and a spirit of the bush, the untamed forest that is both spiritually charged and chaotic. Wè masks take a variety of forms, each well established with readily identifiable attributes, rankings, and functions. They range from hierarchically minor masks representing beggars, comedians, singers, and dancers to masks that are in charge of maintaining order to the singular great mask of wisdom, the mask judge. There are only very rare circumstances where a woman can wear a mask, and predominately masks are always worn by initiated men. Predominately masks are always worn by initiated men and there are only very rare circumstances where a woman can wear a mask. A rule relating to masks among the Wè is that no woman may see a mask unworn and without its ritual attire. This conditional rule extends to a total ban on viewing the mask at all in the case of some great masks, formerly under penalty of death. Women are expected to abstain from looking at a mask that is not being danced, for doing so can cause sterility. Women are generally not involved in questions relating to the masks and they frequently hide their faces between their hands when one is near.

$750 plus shipping