African Arts Gallery

The spectacular elongation of the bust here forms like a stick supported by curved lower limbs. The head, for its part, refers to the masks of the style qualified as guro-bete for lack of reliable information. The central part, cleared up, would indicate a frequent prehension. Satin garnet black patina.
of the Baoulé. Their respective sculptures, by their morphology, bear witness to their close relationship. Priest and diviner share the predominant ritual functions among the Guro. Secret associations worship the geniuses of nature, through the masks in which the spirits are supposed to reside. Their protective spirits called zuzu were worshiped through statues placed on altars. The Bété form a tribe established on the left bank of the Sassandra River in the south-west of the Ivory Coast. Close to the Kouya and the Niabwa, the making of their masks, as well as their function, offers great similarities. "Guro" ed. 5Continents. .