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Guli Society Mask

Baulé

Artwork Details

Guli Society Mask
1900-1971
Baulé
wood with black and white pigment
17 1/2 in x 8 11/16 in x 3 1/8 in (44.4 cm x 22 cm x 8 cm)
Museum Purchase assisted by the Friends of the Museum of Art
1971/2.31

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Description

Like the ape, the buffalo is one of several animals believed to personify the spirits of the savannah. the Guli Society uses this type of mask in paired dances. This black mask would have been worn by a young boy who was not as adept as his red-masked partner. Each masquerader would have been fully hidden by a raffia cape and skirt and by an animal skin hanging from the back of the mask. This mask, borrowed from the Dan people, is considered by the Baule to be the least beautiful of Guli masks.

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