Guro Zamble Mask
The present Zamble mask represents a beautiful but also dangerous creature that, according to legend, was once discovered, captured and tamed by the ancestors of the Guro in the wild.
Tribe: Guro
Origin: Ivory Coast
Estimated Age: Mid-20th Century
Materials: wood
Dimensions cm: 40 x 12
Ref. Number: 1790
£1750.00
Description:
A beautifully styled Guro Zamble mask from the Ivory Coast, Complete with the bite stick, one tiny old crack but no damage. Lovely decorated incised markings too. Horns are the trademark of the Zamble mask-being, which portrays the bushbuck antelope.
Provenance:
Galerie Künzi, Gottfried Künzi (1920-1979), Solothurn.
Martin Gross (1922-2017), Biel (acquired on July 1, 1968).
Exhibited: Tribal Art London Exhibition 2022.
History
The present mask comes from an ensemble, which is also known as a “family” and consists of a total of three mask figures: the horned animal figures zamble and Zauli as well as the female, human gu.
The brothers zamble and Zauli were responsible for settling disputes in the community. Their appearance was usually followed by the appearance of gu, who was also occasionally considered the wife of zamble.
The present Zamble mask represents a beautiful but also dangerous creature that, according to legend, was once discovered, captured and tamed by the ancestors of the Guro in the wild. Formally, it represents a hybrid of antelope, leopard and human.
In its wild dance, the mask was worn with a costume of nets and palm leaves, the back covered by animal skin, preferably that of a leopard. Zamble’s most important prop, however, was the whip (plin), with the loud cracking of which he accompanied his performance and reprimanded the spectators around the dance floor.
Further reading:
Fischer, Eberhard (2008). guro Munich: Prestel Verlag.
Photo credit: Taken from Cambridge University Press, C.Haxaire.
The Power of Ambiguity: The Nature and Efficacy of the Zamble Masks
Contact Exquisite African Art
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+44(0)7531639829
+44 (0)1507 328026
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