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Genres of the Kpelié: Kids masks

Senufo Kpelié kids masks by Fédiofègue Koné from Kolia and Karnigi Coulibaly from Fonodara
Kids masks by Fédiofègue Koné from Kolia and Karnigi Coulibaly from Fonodara

For a long time, these small Keplié masks were wrongly described as "passport masks" or even as Airport-art, because they could not be specified. Karnigi Coulibaly, the carver of the wooden mask on the right, did say in an interview with Karl-Heinz Krieg in 1968, that these masks are danced by children before the beautiful Kpelié is going to perform by an adult dancer and they should enterrain the audience.

 

Another speciality is, that the children did hold these masks in their hands while dancing. These rare masks don't show attachment wholes. The masks were not fixed with straps to the forehead. The small Kpeliés were made by a Koulé as well as by a Fono.


Left: Kpelié mask for children, casted by Fono Fédiofègue "Fedi" Koné, Fono from Kolia. *1913 +1987. Early work, time of creation between 1940 and 1950.

17,0 x 10,0 x 5,0 cm, bronze alloy.

 

Literature:

- Wenn Brauch Gebrauch beeinflusst, Markus Ehrhard, page 138 - 141.

 

Middle: Kpelié mask for children, casted by Fono Fédiofègue "Fedi" Koné, Fono from Kolia. *1913 +1987. Early work, time of creation between 1940 and 1950.

19,0 x 9,0 x 4,5 cm, bronze alloy.

 

Literature:

- Wenn Brauch Gebrauch beeinflusst, Markus Ehrhard, page 138 - 141.

 

Right: Kpelié mask for children, carved by Fono Karnigi Coulibaly, Fodonon. Time of creation 1967. Former Karl-Heinz Krieg Collection.

14,0 x 7,5 x 6,0 cm, wood.

 

Literature:

- Wenn Brauch Gebrauch beeinflusst, Markus Ehrhard, page 90 - 91.

- Kunst und Religion bei den Gbato-Senufo, Elfenbeinküste, Karl-Heinz Krieg und Wulf Lohse, page 44 - 45.

- Afrika Begegnung, aus der Sammlung Artur und Heidrun Elmer, page 44 - 45.


Copyright content and images by Markus Ehrhard