Crest mask - Wood, Natural pigments - Adoné - Kurumba - Burkina Faso - 135 cm

Large crest mask in the shape of an antelope head (Adoné) , made of brightly coloured wood. Antelope-shaped headdresses are known as adoné and attributable to the northernmost Kurumba region of Burkina Faso, which includes the cities of Toulfe, Djibo and Aribinda. The Adoné mask was intimately related to the life of the Kurumba families, and it is possible that it was crafted to honour an authoritative ancestor. During the sacrifices celebrated to inaugurate the Adoné, the names of the deceased were usually attributed to these masks, thus becoming real memorials imbued with life force. An old 'ethnological document' is attached with a polaroid photo provided by the trader to the former collector at the time of purchase in the late 1970s. In original state of preservation, some slight lack of pigment and traces of previous restorations on the ears. References: Metropolitan Museum, NY, The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979, acc. No. 1979. 206. 253. Height including base: 146 cm