Elephant Mask “Vi”
Guro people, Côte d’Ivoire, circa mid-20th c.
Wood, hide (antelope or goat), pigments
28” h x 34” w x 9.5” d (71 x 86 x 24 cm)
Price: $3,800.00
Associated with the powerful Gye (Dye) society, Guro elephant masks were danced at funeral masquerades and other highly solemn occasions (The Art Institute of Chicago, n.d.).
For masks of this type, ears were either carved from the same piece of wood or fashioned from hide. Elephant masks with intact hide ears, such as the example at hand, are quite rare. A search of the African Heritage Documentation & Research Center (AHDRC) reveals no other such examples that have retained their original ears.
