Mémoire d’Afrique — Ref. 248
Mossi mask — Mossi, Burkina Faso — African tribal art — Ref. 248
Description
Used during funerary rites and initiatory ceremonies, this mask embodies a protective spirit linked to the ancestors or the forces of nature. It served to channel communication between the living and the spirits.
Its imposing structure is topped by a zoomorphic figure, probably an antelope or a sacred totemic animal. The lateral perforations indicate that it was attached to a costume of plant fibres. Carved in dense wood, it has a patina of use marked by time, with visible traces of old restorations.
Technical details
- Type of piece
- Masque
- Category
- Masks
- Ethnic group
- Mossi
- Country
- Burkina Faso
- Materials
- wood
- Dimensions
- H 45 × W 16 × D 19 cm
- Weight
- 1,7 kg
- Estimated dating
- second half 20th c.
- Laboratory test
- Not tested
- Reference
- 248