YORUBA, Nigeria. - Lot 191

YORUBA, Nigeria. Guelede dance mask featuring a youthful face with balanced features, eyes wide open and mouth closed, giving a calm, attentive expression. The cheeks are adorned with three incised scarifications on each side. The headdress is composed of several rows of horizontal braids arranged in a stepped arc, topped by a sculpted protuberance in the shape of a stylized pot, the central element of the composition. Wood, remains of natural orange, indigo, white and brown pigments, internal wear marks. Height Height : 40 cm Length: 27 cm Guélédé masks are associated with public ceremonies celebrating the spiritual and social power of elderly women, known as Ìyá Nlá ("great mothers"), guarantors of community equilibrium. The pot at the top of the headdress is a powerful symbol of transformation, mastery of vital forces and domestic and ritual knowledge, combining cooking, fertility and the ability to feed the community both materially and spiritually.