Description
Senoufo kpelie mask Ivory Coast Wood Provenance: John J. Klejman Collection, New York Perls Galleries, New York (inv. n°10759) Private American collection In keeping with the classical style of the corpus, this Kpelie face mask stands out for the delicacy and refinement of its features - for the boldness of its contours and reliefs magnified by the lighter patina of use, for the sculptural dynamics and interiorized expression of the entity represented. Skillfully combining grace, symmetry and sophistication, this type of mask contained the ancestral spirit of the female divinity protecting the male society of the Poro. Material embodiments of the spirit of the "old mother" named Katiéléo - the female substitute for the supreme god in Senoufo mythology - these masks were used for the initiation of young men and at funerals. The oval face is beautifully framed by stylized lateral projections - semicircular, rectangular and triangular, finely engraved with linear grooves and notches. The lower part of the face is adorned with two equally scarified curved elements, probably evoking the legs of the hornbill bird, an important symbol of creation in Senoufo cosmology. The face is a perfect oval, the sculptural depth rendered by alternating concave and convex planes. The strongly rounded forehead, crossed across its entire width by two horizontal linear motifs, is adorned in its center with a diamond-shaped motif sculpted in relief, expressing the femininity contained in the spirit of the mask - Anita Glaze saw in it an allegorical representation of the female vulva, a symbol of fertility. Relief eyes, stretched and slit, surmounted by a double arch of eyebrows carved in a circular arc. Geometric motifs in relief on the cheeks indicate ethnic scarification. The long, straight, aquiline nose, sculpted in high relief, harmoniously follows the concave curve of the face, whose curved tip accommodates the small, half-open rectangular mouth with exposed teeth, whose corners are framed by relief motifs. The highly stylized crest, carved above the skull in the classic kapok tree rasp motif, adds to this profusion of controlled ornamentation. A fine example, a perfect blend of classical Senoufo aesthetics and symbolism, illustrating the quintessential African sculptural style.
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