Bobo Bwa, Burkina Faso: a large, old Janus-headed helmet mask, with two faces, figures and horns.
Bobo Bwa, Burkina Faso: a large, old Janus-headed helmet mask, with two faces, figures and horns.
A large, Janus-headed helmet or pull-on mask from the Bobo Bwa, carved from hard, heavy wood. Both faces level off underneath in a pointed, rounded chin area, they also have double eyebrow arches, large ‘drooping’ eyelids, a long, flat nose and each one has a small, round, protruding mouth. The surfaces of the faces are coloured in white (with kaolin) under the brows, as are the triangles that cover the entire upper ‘helmet’ – in the typical tribal Bobo pattern. On both sides of the mask there are two small ears and each has a horn carved out from the same piece. In the central axis, above the forehead, both mask faces bear an entire human figure carved out from the same piece – a man on one side and a woman on the other. They probably symbolise the ‘ancestor couple’ of a Bobo clan (the clan founders). An interesting, carefully crafted, old helmet mask with small, age-related damages (minor tears and some smaller pieces broken off) as well as colour abrasion in the white kaolin areas. Otherwise no damage. It has a very good patina, that is in parts shiny, as a result of protracted use – especially on the inside. Height: 62 cm; width: 30 cm. First half of the 20th century. (ME)
Provenance:
Italian private collection.
Specialist: Erwin Melchardt
Erwin Melchardt
+43-1-515 60-465
erwin.melchardt@dorotheum.at
09.06.2016 - 17:00
- Realized price: **
-
EUR 1,000.-
- Starting bid:
-
EUR 800.-
Bobo Bwa, Burkina Faso: a large, old Janus-headed helmet mask, with two faces, figures and horns.
A large, Janus-headed helmet or pull-on mask from the Bobo Bwa, carved from hard, heavy wood. Both faces level off underneath in a pointed, rounded chin area, they also have double eyebrow arches, large ‘drooping’ eyelids, a long, flat nose and each one has a small, round, protruding mouth. The surfaces of the faces are coloured in white (with kaolin) under the brows, as are the triangles that cover the entire upper ‘helmet’ – in the typical tribal Bobo pattern. On both sides of the mask there are two small ears and each has a horn carved out from the same piece. In the central axis, above the forehead, both mask faces bear an entire human figure carved out from the same piece – a man on one side and a woman on the other. They probably symbolise the ‘ancestor couple’ of a Bobo clan (the clan founders). An interesting, carefully crafted, old helmet mask with small, age-related damages (minor tears and some smaller pieces broken off) as well as colour abrasion in the white kaolin areas. Otherwise no damage. It has a very good patina, that is in parts shiny, as a result of protracted use – especially on the inside. Height: 62 cm; width: 30 cm. First half of the 20th century. (ME)
Provenance:
Italian private collection.
Specialist: Erwin Melchardt
Erwin Melchardt
+43-1-515 60-465
erwin.melchardt@dorotheum.at
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| Auction: | Tribal Art - Africa |
| Auction type: | Saleroom auction |
| Date: | 09.06.2016 - 17:00 |
| Location: | Vienna | Palais Dorotheum |
| Exhibition: | 04.06. - 09.06.2016 |
** Purchase price incl. charges and taxes
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