Seli mask - Guro - SOLD OUT

This mask has a beautiful polychrome patina and appendices accompanied by a ram figurine. The small rounded horns are those of Aries, totemic animal in the region. These horns are intact, they have not suffered damage or repair, which is rare enough to be noticed. Like many other populations who actually live in the centre of Ivory Coast, the Guro, who are Mandé peoples, migrated many centuries ago, in several phases, from a northern territory to the central savannahs of the current Ivory Coast, which became the crossroads where very diverse cultures meet. This migration flow was due, first to the collapse of the Empire of Mali, and then to the Mandé invasions during the second half of the 18th century. This large axis of movement between the peoples of the Sahel, Ivory Coast and Ghana, connected intermediate realms and trade spaces over the centuries. It seems that originally, the Guro had very close relations with their neighbours the Dan, with who they share the traditions of masks and initiatory societies. However, their traditions of weaving and sculpture, as confirmed by Hans Himmelheber, are utterly original and are not due to their contact with the Baule who arrived in the 18th century. They come from their Mandé origins, whose mastery of textile activity is ancient and widely documented, especially among the Dioula ; it was the mainspring of a very active trade until the colonial period.Origin : private collection V. Briard FRDating : 1960'sSize : 43 x 23 cmMaterial : wood