Spectacular Wobe Guéré singing mask, Danané region, Ivory Co - Lot 28

Spectacular Wobe Guéré singing mask, Danané region, Ivory Coast Wood, bells, plant fibers, deep patina indicating age. H. 25 cm An oval face, the forehead marked with 6 squares in relief, a horizontal frieze, a band of plant fiber and raffia from which numerous bronze bells hang, eyes marked with kaolin in slits and protruding, a blunt nose overhanging a half-open fleshy mouth decorated with plant or iron teeth, The lower part of the face, with a bulge surrounded by two scarification marks in relief, indicates an ancestor. The whole gives a soothed presence, as if asleep, but with a powerful aesthetic full of strength. Deep patina indicating age. Provenance: Former Maurice NICAUD collection (Paris) - French private collection