n'gré Wood, pigment, metal height 11 1/2in (29cm) Provenance Maître Georges Loiseau, Paris/Abidjan Acquired from the above by the present owner Skillfully carved with an intended garish glare, the dimensional aspects of the composition is complex, with a deeply carved rounded "shelf" forehead above deeply pierced eye holes for the mask wearer above projecting slit eyes; the nose is a vertical plane which branches outwards, upwards and curving back towards the facial plane; the mouth, carved in the same manner as the eyes, helps ground the overall composition; fine, semi-glossy blackened patina with kaolin accents in the linear incisions.