The artistic style of the Baule people and that of the Yaure, a subgroup of the Baule people, are often difficult to distinguish. In general, Yaure masks have flatly conceived faces, fine slit eyes and a larger size serrated beard than Baule masks. The present mask has a flat, slightly concave face and slit eyes. It can therefore be assigned to the Yaure tribe (Baule masks have faces which are rounded and bulge outwards). Yaure masks often have appendages carved out from the same piece, Baule masks very seldom. What is special about this mask, however, is that it can be assigned to a particular artist or his workshop: only he, or his assistants, always carved two small, flat curls at the left and right next to the finely hatched goatee beard. Furthermore, between the nose and the mouth of ‘his’ masks there is always an elevated, small area visible. Also, nobody carves the high crest birds, decorated with fine ornament, as elegantly and slenderly as this ‘Master of the Yaure Masks’. A complete but small group of masks in the style of this ‘master’ is known. Comparanda: 'Baule. African Art - Western Eyes' by Susan M. Vogel, p. 165: a comparable, almost identical object from the ‘Kronos Collection’, with illustration and explanatory text. This extremely unusual Yaure mask, made of light-coloured wood and coloured in brown, displays an old, partially encrusted shiny patina. No damage. H: 35 cm; W: 17.5 cm. First third of the 20th century. (ME)

Provenance: Belgian Collection.