code: 2024-OC

an antique, from one piece of wood carved African tribal art object, of the

Yaure / Yaoure / Youre / Yohure People

from the Cote d'Ivoire,

a dance mask, used during the Io ceremony,

carved from hard wood and dyed black, 

it features a ‘beard’ that runs around the rim of the face and is carved out from the same piece, 

the eyebrow arches run down into the long, thin nose,

a small, protruding mouth,

keloids on either side of the eyes, 

three scarification marks between the brows, 

authentic, glossy dark patina and remains of kaolin / white pigment ,

with good usage patina on the back and inside, 

age: early or first half 20th Century

condition: firm, stable, signs of age, use and handling, dents, scratches and a chip

- please do see all the pictures, they are part of the description -

provenance: a private collection of African tribal art in The Netherlands, collected since 1960

height: circa 40 cm / circa 15.7 inch

width: circa 21 cm / circa 8.2 inch

weight: circa 1386 gr.

The masks of the Yohure represent human faces often supplemented by attributes. They have an elongated face with a protruding mouth and pierced semi-circular eyes set under a high forehead. An elaborate plaited coiffure parted on each side, often with horns at the end, completes the image, while the outline of the mask is characteristically surrounded by a serrated edge, as typicly for the Yaure, representing a beard

The masks are considered emblems of yu spirits, very dangerous; they have to be handled with extreme caution. Cases of death that jeopardize the social order are the principal occasions for an appearance of masqueraders. By means of their dance, they restore the social equilibrium of the community and accompany the deceased into the ancestral realm. 

These masks are worn predominantly on two occasions: the je celebration and the lo ceremony. The first purifies the village after a death and helps the deceased's soul on its way to a final resting place. Painted masks are mainly worn by dancers during this ceremony, while for the Io funeral ceremony masks covered with black pigments appear. Women may not participate in funeral ceremonies, neither may they look at the masks, for fear that this encounter with death might jeopardize their fecundity. This means that before starting the village’s purification rituals related to a death, for prudence sake the women are gotten out of the way. With the aid of such masks, the people hope to influence supernatural powers, or yu spirits, that can do harm to humans, but that can also ensure their welfare. The function of each type of mask is not rigidly fixed, which leads to their appearance during either ceremony.

please note: we are not experts, after limited, unprofessional research we have attributed this item to a land, country, tribe or people, to the best we could, do judge for yourself the tribal affilation and the correct age before buying or bidding, we will not accept returns if the buyer finds that we are wrong concerning these matters, so we sell "as is" 

free world wide shipping

- this means that the shipping costs are included with the sale price

- you wil be ordering registrated shipment provided by PostNL from The Netherlands, EU

- this will be according to the PostNL conditions and destinations

- the shipping will be, if possible, with priority, tracking and insurance offered by PostNL for loss during shipment

- shipment out of the EU will be under Incoterm DAP and HS-code 9705.31

we are: delta 98 den haag

The Hague, The Netherlands, EU

registrated at: Chambers of Commerce in The Netherlands / KvK Haaglanden: file 27133335