Mémoire d’Afrique — Ref. 287
Bansonyi snake mask — monumental vertical sculpture — Baga, Guinea — African tribal art — Ref. 287
Description
This impressive vertical sculpture comes from the Baga people of Guinea, known for their monumental works and powerful animal symbols. Representing a sacred snake, probably a variant of Bansonyi or the mythical Ninkinanka, this piece embodies the protective and cosmogonic spirits that structure Baga religious and social life. Traditionally, such sculptures were associated with rites of initiation, fertility or community protection.
The snake, symbolising the power of nature, regeneration, and also fecundity, stands here in an undulating posture, carved in one piece from heavy, dense wood. Its surface shows a play of painted triangles in natural black, white and red tones, typical of the Baga ritual palette. Metal elements — round nails, rivets and plates — are fixed to the head and body, probably to emphasise symbolic organs or provide ritual protection.
The thick base, cut as a rough flat section, suggests fixed use: the sculpture was probably planted vertically in the ground or inserted into a ritual structure, sacred enclosure, altar or ceremonial framework, rather than carried.
Technical details
- Type of piece
- Masque
- Category
- Masks
- Ethnic group
- Baga
- Country
- Mali
- Materials
- wood, natural pigment, metal
- Dimensions
- H 196 × W 30 × D 33 cm
- Weight
- 26 kg
- Estimated dating
- second half 20th c.
- Laboratory test
- Not tested
- Reference
- 287