A Karan Wemba Mask, Yatenga style, Mossi , Northern Central Burkina Faso, wood, a narrow head of a bird in the part of the mask that would be worn, surmounted by two rectangular middle parts, on-top of which is a female sculpture, standing, her legs slightly bent, protruding navel, slender torso, pointed breasts, squared shoulders, thin long arms falling towards the hips, flattened hands, a thin cylindric neck carrying an oval shaped head, with calming features composed of a small mouth, long nose and simple closed eyes, the hair is pulled upwards in a mohawk, the body of this female sculpture is covered in geometric patterns, which can be see repeated though out the whole mask; fine glosssy patina mostly on the arms and legsof the female figure

"Throughout the savanna region of West Africa, commemorative funerals pay tribute to the memory of deceased elders with performances of music, dance, and masks. Among the Mossi of Burkina Faso, a wooden face mask surmounted by a female figure appears at the funerals of revered women. The mask honors a woman whose great age, wisdom, and experience elevated her to the rank of a living ancestress, an ideal intermediary between the living and the spirits of the family's ancestors. In this work the artist has depicted such a woman at the height of her physical beauty, her youthful body adorned with the scarification patterns traditionally applied after the birth of her first child. The crescent-shaped coiffure, metal armlets, and pierced ears (which once held metal or beaded earrings) further enhance the beauty of the figure and reflect Mossi ideals of personal embellishment.

The stylized oval face mask, with its central vertical ridge, indicates an origin in the Yatenga region. Mossi masks from this area resemble the masking styles of the Dogon of Mali and reflect their shared history. Five centuries ago, when the Mossi states were founded, some Dogon living in this area were assimilated into Mossi society, while others fled to the present home of the Dogon around the Bandiagara cliffs."

Source: The MET

Fruther reading: Land of flying masks Art and Culture in Burkina Faso, p.407.

sold

Heigh: 133 cm
Weight: 1,54 kg