Such tall plank masks ‘dance’ alongside the Bwa people during large harvest festivals. The lower, round face part of this style of mask, called ‘Bayiri’, represents the head of an owl. The hooked projections symbolise the beak of the hornbill. Bird representations often appear on Bobo-Bwa masks in different variations. This is because birds embody the connection between the world of man and the world of the supernatural. The present plank mask is designed in the typical relief-style of the Bobo-Bwa. The owl face has large, round eyes – each one formed of three black-dyed circles in relief. It has a short, hooked beak as well as an open rhombus-shaped mouth with teeth. A handle for the dancer is placed under the oval shaped owl’s head of this tall, heavy mask. The alternating black and white colouring of individual surfaces of the relief is characteristic of Bobo-Bwa masks. This is achieved by means of soot-dye and kaolin. The front side of the towering plank, with its four hooked projections, is covered with a black and white triangular pattern, whereas the reverse, with three hooks, shows a black and white chessboard pattern. The mask is finished with a white half moon above.
Overall a typical and rare object, with a few old original repairs (cracks resulting from usage, especially on the hooks, were fixed with metal bands), together with some colour abrasion on the kaolin surfaces. Otherwise a very good, old patina, especially on the inside of the head section due to protracted use. Height: 135 cm; width: 26 cm. First half of the 20th century. (ME)

Provenance:
Philip Laeremanns Gallery Collection, Brussels, Belgium; Austrian private collection.

Lit.:
'Man and his Vision. The Traditional Wood Sculpture Of Burkina Faso' by E. A. Dagan, ill. cover photograph, 17, 27.