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Baoulé masks and figures

Masques et statues baoulé

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The Baoulé, part of the Akan world, are known for realistic, elegant portrait masks (used in Mblo performances) and 'other-world spouse' figures (blolo bian / blolo bla). Baoulé people believe everyone has a spouse in the other world (blolo); when life goes badly, a diviner may say that spouse is jealous, and a beautiful figure is carved for it and cared for.

In Baoulé aesthetics, calm, symmetry and refinement stand for moral goodness and beauty; portrait masks are sometimes carved after a real person.

CE QUE VOUS VERREZ · What you will see

A long, slender carved face with a calm expression and lowered eyelids, the hair and facial marks carved in fine detail; or a seated pair of male and female figures.

POURQUOI · So what

West African masks were a major inspiration for early 20th-century European modern art. Today they live on in contemporary design, such as Loza Maléombho's gold mask clasps.

SAVOIR-FAIRE · How to use it

When buying a mask, ask about its origin: most on the market are decorative pieces made for tourists, and antiques need provenance and an export permit. Asking is itself a sign of taste.

Asian and European parallelsCompare Japanese Noh masks: both are ritual masks that later entered museums and the collectors' market, and both find beauty in stillness.

Where to experience itMuseum of Civilisations; around Bouaké and Sakassou in the centre.

On these routes

Two Days on the Coast: Grand-Bassam and Assinie