A Bwa mask, Burkina Faso, of large proportions, a circular face with a a lozenge-shaped open pierced mouth with rows of teeth, almond-shaped pierced eyes, two hornbills pendant from the forehead beneath a pierced circular-shaped plank surmounted by a u-shaped plank, atop a standing female figure, the whole piece decorated with incised geometric patterns, around the rim pierced through for attachment; the entire mask is carved from a single piece of wood, with traces of white, red and black pigments, signs of age and ritual use, several cracks, authentic repair on the hand of the figure, incl. stand.

"The graphic patterns and the wood planks on which they are carved with patterns are analogous to the stone tables of the Ten Commandments, covered with patterns in Hebrew, through which Gods laws were communicated to the Israelites. Each of the geometric patterns carved on the masks has a meaning. The meaning of these patterns are universal among Voltaic peoples in the broadest sense."

Lit.: Christopher D. Roy/Thomas G.B. Wheelock: Land of the Flying Masks. Art and Culture in Burkina Faso. The Thomas G. B. Wheelock Collection, München 2007, p. 50.

sold

Height: 108 cm
Weight: 4,80 kg