A carved wooden dance mask with exaggerated facial features and an undeniable well handled and worn surface patina. According to the Met Museum Such masks are known as Mblo and are found In Baule communities in Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa. Mblo performances comprise of skits that feature masked dancers who impersonate familiar subjects that range from animals to human caricatures. The dances escalate in complexity and importance and eventually culminate in a performance that pays tribute to the community's most admired member. The individual thus honored is depicted by a mask that is conceived as his or her artistic "double" or "namesake." The highly stylized compositions of double-faced twin masks are the abstract projection of ideas relating to complementary opposites. This mask measures 10.5 x 7 inches ( 14.75 inches on custom display stand which is included) Baule peoples, Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa. Provenance: A Private Paris France collection.

fair, well handled and worn