Baule Couple "Kple-Kple" Mask PAIR, Côte d'Ivoire #213, #214


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  • Baule Couple "Kple-Kple" Mask PAIR, Côte d'Ivoire #213, #214
  • A PAIR of Baule circular plank masks, from Central Bouaké Region, called "Kple-Kple".
  • Reddish to blackened surface, remnants of kaolin.
  • A pair of male and female kple kple masks are the first of four mask types that can appear in goli, a Baule dance performed as entertainment and at the funerals of important men. Worn by young boys attired in netted costumes and an animal hide cape, the kple kple is considered to be a junior mask, the least prestigious of goli masks. In the ritual, it would be followed by successively more important male-female mask pairs, culminating in a high-ranking female face mask known as kpan. The kple kple mask is notable for its long streamers of raffia attached to its sides. The Baule differentiate its gender through color. are unusual in Baule art, and reflect the fact that the goli dance was borrowed over a hundred years ago from the neighboring Wan peoples. Through the use of linked male/female pairs, the Baule version of goli stresses the interconnectedness between men and women. Source: Queens University.
  • Measurements: 42cm / 46 cm