Goli mask C023M048

Typical Baulé wooden mask called Goli. Compared to traditional Baulé masks, characterized by a strong figurative/realistic drawing, the Goli one is extremely stylized. It was used in tribal dances during harvest festivals, during processions to honor distinguished visitors, or for important people funerals. The circular face represents the life-giving power of the sun, while the horns symbolize the great power of the buffalo. The eyes have two holes, to allow the user to see; the mouth, of rectangular shape, is a characteristic feature of the Goli mask.

Baoulé’s art is one of the most ancient form of African art; it includes the most fascinating works of that population’s sculptors. Baoulé’s art transmits a great expressivity; realism and idealization are merged, the features are refined and all the details are accurately defined, as the elegant hairdos or the raw-boned faces, necks and torsos. Masks have a calm face, whose features are outlined with extraordinary care. The surfaces are polished wiping them with leaves, to give the mask a characteristic appearance, also conferred by the scarifications on the forehead and temples.