The Baule (Baoulé) from Ivory Coast used the abstract concept of duality as a mystical element for understanding the world. The duality takes many forms: man and woman, body and soul, the object and its shadow, the reflection, the confluence, the twins, and even the role of the ego in the community.
The Vérité collection included since the 1930s a double mask, sold for € 1.3 million including premium by Enchères Rive Gauche on 17 June 2006. It is now estimated € 2M for sale by Sotheby's in Paris on June 24, lot 26.
Unlike the Janus figures, the two faces are side by side. It is a real mask in which only the two central eyes are pierced to be used in that function.
Both heads are identical in shape but differ in the location of scars, in the hair and in the color of the patina that has been partially preserved. It is indeed a male-female duality. The serene and wise attitude of the two heads confirms that the meaning is more philosophical than religious. This is not an emanation of the primordial couple.
A double mask is created by the artist on the occasion of a twin birth, probably as a unique piece that explains its great rarity. Two other examples only are known. A dancer wore this mask in the presence of the real twins during festive celebrations.
I invite you to watch the video shared by Sotheby's :
The Vérité collection included since the 1930s a double mask, sold for € 1.3 million including premium by Enchères Rive Gauche on 17 June 2006. It is now estimated € 2M for sale by Sotheby's in Paris on June 24, lot 26.
Unlike the Janus figures, the two faces are side by side. It is a real mask in which only the two central eyes are pierced to be used in that function.
Both heads are identical in shape but differ in the location of scars, in the hair and in the color of the patina that has been partially preserved. It is indeed a male-female duality. The serene and wise attitude of the two heads confirms that the meaning is more philosophical than religious. This is not an emanation of the primordial couple.
A double mask is created by the artist on the occasion of a twin birth, probably as a unique piece that explains its great rarity. Two other examples only are known. A dancer wore this mask in the presence of the real twins during festive celebrations.
I invite you to watch the video shared by Sotheby's :
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