Mask Zamble - Guro - Côte d'Ivoire (No Reserve Price)

The Zamble mask is one of the best-known masks of the Guro (central-west of Ivory Coast) ; its very particular appearance, half-leopard, half-antelope, is directly associated with this ethnic group and with it alone in a region where the different population groups nevertheless experience a lot of interaction.

With regard to masks, in particular, influences are frequent and sometimes go beyond the formal level. Beyond aesthetic considerations, Zamble is interesting in more than one respect because it constitutes a hinge between profane masks that depend on associations of artists and sacred masks. Zamble, like the sacred examples, is placed under the care of a family responsible for its cult, but the success of its performances and the public recognition of the identity of its wearer also place it in the category of more profane entertainment masks. Its interventions can take place within the restricted framework of the family ritual for a sacrifice offered to the ancestors or on the occasion of large funerals involving several villages. This particular ceremony requires an enormous financial investment for the celebration of the deceased. These economic considerations also increasingly force families to organize a common event to commemorate several dead at once. Dignitaries invite many masks from neighboring villages and frequently two Zambles who compete for an entire day. These Zamble competitions are so famous that they gather around the dance square, spectators from sometimes very distant villages and even from the capital where some live. However, it is not only entertainment because the simple fact of attending shows that bring supernatural powers into play always represents a danger.