Artwork Page for Portrait Mask (mblo)

Details / Information for Portrait Mask (mblo)

Portrait Mask (mblo)

early to mid-1900s

Africa, West Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, Baule-style carver

Medium
Wood and paint
Measurements
Overall: 41.2 cm (16 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Katherine C. White 1974.203
Public Domain
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Location
108A African
Print
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Did You Know?

This may be a portrait mask of a respected female elder.

Description

Male and female mblo masks, highly valued by the Baule people, are used in a variety of entertainment dances. Wearing elaborate coiffures and delicate facial scars, they are seen as portraits of known individuals. Their idealized rendering embodies core traits of Baule aesthetics, including lustrous skin, a high forehead, and downcast eyes, signs of good health, intelligence, and admiration, respectively.
A carved wood mask features an elongated oval face with narrow slit eyes and a long, thin nose beneath a flat brow. A square mouth reveals carved teeth. Symmetrical grid patterns mark the temples, and a faint red streak runs down one cheek. A dark gray headpiece with seven bulbous protrusions sits atop the head. The face is painted light tan, contrasting with the dark, rounded crown.

Portrait Mask (mblo)

early to mid-1900s

Africa, West Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, Baule-style carver

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