Bobo Mask
Burkina Faso
A mask constructed along a vertical axis, the form organised as an elongated planar blade rising from a conical base.
Description
Carved from a single wood block, the form rises into an elongated blade panel pierced with a series of horizontal openings. A central vertical field of lozenge motifs divides the surface, flanked by alternating bands of zigzag and linear incision. Below, a conical base forms the lower register, carved with repeating triangular bands and a row of perforations at the lower edge. Lateral projections are set at the junction of blade and base.
Surface is compact and stable. White pigment is retained within incised fields; exposure at raised planes.
Context
Among the Bobo, masks of this type are used within agricultural and initiation structures.
Provenance
From the Felice Maffei Collection, acquired in Burkina Faso, 1971.
Details
- Title
- Bobo Mask
- Culture
- Bobo
- Origin
- Burkina Faso
- Date
- 20th century
- Dimensions
- H 106 cm (41.7 in) · W 29 cm (11.4 in)
- Medium
- Wood, pigment
- Provenance
- From the Felice Maffei Collection, acquired in Burkina Faso, 1971.
- Condition
- Stable structure; pigment retained; exposure at raised elements.
