Baule Mask

 Beautiful, But… 

This mask is gorgeous, and I suppose it looks similar to what it’s meant to be, but it’s a little dirty. It’s obviously meant to be a Kpan, made by the Baule Peoples of the Ivory Coast. Notice the elaborate coiffure hairstyle, the scarification on the cheeks and forehead, and the detailed carving around the sides. A Kpan is a mask used in a dance ceremony called Goli and signifies the senior female in the dance. The only problem with this one is that it’s far too aged for when it was supposedly made. The mask doesn’t look like it was used in Goli at all and instead rather looks like someone dirtied it later. I can believe that Sadigh got this from a tourist shop on the Ivory Coast, but I think there is something fishy going on here.