Mossi Mask, Yatenga Region, Burkina Faso

karanga
height 57in (145cm)

Provenance
Werner Gillon - The Tara Collection, London
Marc and Denyse Ginzberg Collection, New York, acquired in 1975
Roberta and Lance Entwistle, London
American Private Collection, acquired in 1992

Published
Fagg, William, African Sculpture from the Tara Collection, London, 1971, no. VI-12
Roy, Christopher, The Sculpture of Black Africa - Upper Volta, New York, 1972, fig. 98
Skoogstad, Norman, Traditional Sculpture from Upper Volta, New York, 1978, fig. 2
Stéphan, Lucien, Formes et Couleurs - Sculptures de l'Afrique Noire, Paris, 1993, p. 152

Exhibited
South Bend, Illinois, African Sculpture from the Tara Collection, University of Notre Dame, 28 March - 23 May 1971
New York, The Sculpture of Black Africa - Upper Volta, The Museum of Primitive Art, 31 May - 8 October 1972
New York, Traditional Sculpture from Black Africa, The African-American Institute, 24 October 1978 - 24 March 1979 / Washington D.C., Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, 1 June - 31 December 1978
Paris, Formes et Couleurs - Sculptures de l'Afrique Noire, Musée Dapper, 1 April - 15 September 1993

This karanga mask, while illustrative of the Yatenga style, has a semi-circular nose which, according to Christopher Roy (ibid., p. 129) is unusual, as well as the 90-degree turn of the vertical plank above the mask. The sides of the mask are decorated with incised geometric designs. The curved, vertical plank above the mask is connected with a cylindrical rod and terminates in the form of a bird's beak. The plank is decorated on each side with geometric patterns highlighted with ochre and white pigments, and openwork designs.