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Moon face mask from a mblo performance

19th century(?)
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 341
Mblo is a genre of popular entertainment featuring both masked and unmasked performers in a sequence of songs, dances and skits. Talented community members periodically collaborated on new, named, mblo compositions with new scripts, choreography and newly carved masks. In at least one documented mblo, titled gbagba, masks representing the moon, rainbows and other natural phenomena appeared first, warming up the audience and the performance space. Following a range of domesticated and wild animal protagonists, mblo culminated in the appearance of portrait masks representing identifiable prominent community members. Mirroring the idealized stance found in many carved Baule figures, mblo choreography typically required an upright posture, straight neck, bent knees and composed demeanor.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Moon face mask from a mblo performance
  • Artist: Baule or Yaure artist
  • Date: 19th century(?)
  • Geography: Côte d’Ivoire, Béoumi region
  • Culture: Baule or Yaure
  • Medium: Wood
  • Dimensions: H. 9 × W. 7 1/4 × D. 3 1/4 in. (22.9 × 18.4 × 8.3 cm)
  • Classification: Wood-Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Gift of Ceil Pulitzer, 2022
  • Object Number: 2022.468.2
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

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