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HOME :
African & Tribal Art :
Anyi, Attye, Lagoons Region : Attye Wooden Forehead Mask
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Attye Wooden Forehead Mask - PF.5890
Origin: Ivory Coast
Circa: 20
th
Century AD
Dimensions:
8" (20.3cm) high
x 5.625" (14.3cm) wide
Collection: African
Style: Attye
Medium: Wood
£8,000.00
Location: Great Britain
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| Description |
The Attye people are one of the major tribes that
inhabit the lagoon region of the southeastern
Ivory Coast. Artistically, they are heavily
indebted to their neighbours, the Baule. This
mask is a type known as a forehead mask or
crest cap. The mask would have been secured to
the top of the wearer’s forehead. Either a piece
of cloth or a veil would have covered the face of
the wearer, hiding him from the audience. The
mask would have been worn in certain rituals
and ceremonies most likely related to fertility,
suggested by the woman’s face who graces this
mask. The performer would have bent over
while dancing in order to present the mask
directly to the crowd. The beauty of this mask,
and woman carved onto it, is astounding. Her
facial features are typical of the Attye style,
especially her squint, semicircular eyes, and
reveals the influence of the Baule. Her hair has
been intricately braided into an elaborate coiffure
that suggests her rank and stature within the
community. Her social rank is also suggested by
the decorative scarifications that beautify her
temples. While we simply see the face of a
woman, the true power and beauty of this mask
is not fully revealed to our eyes. One must
imagine the rhythm of the drums banging, the
colours of the elegantly costumed dancers, the
fluidity of their movement in order to understand
the significance of this mask. This mask is more
than a mask, it is a powerful symbol of female
fertility that is but one aspect of an elaborate
ritual where the elders of the tribe pass on the
secrets of living to a new generation of initiates.
- (PF.5890)
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