Zoomorphic mask

Burkina Faso, Bwa

Provenance	Size	Starting price / estimated price
German Private Collection	H: 24.6 inch	sold

wood, matt patina, polychrome paint, with projecting (crocodile)snout and jagged forehead-nose-ridge, carved with ornamental decor, remains of bark wood and cord on the backside, min. dam., missing parts through insect caused damage, cracks, traces of abrasion;
crocodiles are considered as guardians of standpipes. They also play an important role within the worship of the ancestors.

Karl-Ferdinand Schädler, Afrikanische Kunst in Deutschen Privatsammlungen, München 1973, p. 58; ; Ders. Afrikanische Kunst, München 1975, p. 67; Ders., Lexikon Afrikanische Kunst und Kultur, München, Berlin 1994, p. 173; Ders. Encyclopedia of African Art and Culture, Munich 2009, p. 471

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