Description:

Burkina Faso. Carved mask embodying a bird or rooster spirit, with projecting crescent-shape ridge, bulging circular eyes, small squared beak below, and rectangular openings for the wearer. Painted with red, ochre, dark brown, and white pigment. Matte patina, surface wear, minor hairline crack. Custom base. Inventory number label on interior. When used in performances the masks embody nature or ancestor spirits that interact with human beings and influence their lives. They appear at important funerals to honor the dead and escort the deceased's soul to the world beyond. They also dance at agricultural festivities to ensure the proper progression of the seasons, and at initiation rituals to help introduce young men and women to the secrets and responsibilities of adulthood. Birds in general are messengers who communicate between man and the supernatural world, and they also represent freedom. The cock in particular symbolizes the power of the chief. See a similar related example at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object no. 1978.412.358. Size: 13-1/4"H.

Provenance: Ex. Thomas Wheelock, Inv. no.1199; ex. Amyas Naegele Gallery, NYC.

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#70421

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February 26, 2026 7:00 AM MST
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Artemis Fine Arts

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