Female Face Mask (Ndoma)

Until Côte d’Ivoire’s civil war (2002–2007), Baule village life was regularly punctuated by entertainment masquerades. Such spectacles included masks that were idealized portraits honoring living members of the community. They were attached to a cloth costume and worn by a man—including the female mask displayed here—while the person portrayed typically danced beside him. In addition to individualized traits in its hairstyle and scarifications, this mask’s high forehead symbolizes intelligence and its downcast eyes suggest an introspective disposition.