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Lot Essay
Issu du peuple mossi, dans la région Nord des vallées de la Volta au Burkina Faso, ce masque coiffé d’une figure féminine est porté lors des funérailles de femmes vénérées. Il rend hommage à l’une d’elles - karan-wemba - dont l’âge avancé, le rang, la sagesse et l’expérience lui confèrent le statut d’ancêtre vivante, faisant d’elle un précieux intermédiaire entre les vivants et les esprits des aïeux. Très probablement originaire de la province du Yatenga, ce masque révèle le raffinement de son créateur.
Ce masque, de l’ancienne collection Josef Müller, fait partie d’un corpus d’au moins sept exemplaires attribués au même sculpteur ou même atelier. Parmi eux, citons celui du Stanley Museum of Art (inv. n° X1986.475), publié dans Roy, C., African Art from Iowa Private Collections (Iowa City, 1981, pp. 54 et 55, n° 42), ainsi que celui du Penn Museum (inv. n° 68-35-2).
Hailing from the Mossi people in the northern Volta valleys of present-day Burkina Faso, this mask, crowned with a female figure, is worn during the funerary rites of revered women. It pays homage to one such figure - karan-wemba - whose advanced age, high rank, wisdom and experience elevate her to the status of a living ancestor, making her a precious intermediary between the living and the spirits of forebears. Most likely originating from the province of Yatenga, this mask attests to the refinement of its creator.
This mask, from the former Josef Müller collection, belongs to a corpus of at least seven known examples attributed to the same sculptor or workshop. Among them, one can cite the specimen held by the Stanley Museum of Art (inv. no. X1986.475), published in Roy, C., African Art from Iowa Private Collections (Iowa City, 1981, pp. 54–55, no. 42), as well as the one in the Penn Museum (inv. no. 68-35-2).
Ce masque, de l’ancienne collection Josef Müller, fait partie d’un corpus d’au moins sept exemplaires attribués au même sculpteur ou même atelier. Parmi eux, citons celui du Stanley Museum of Art (inv. n° X1986.475), publié dans Roy, C., African Art from Iowa Private Collections (Iowa City, 1981, pp. 54 et 55, n° 42), ainsi que celui du Penn Museum (inv. n° 68-35-2).
Hailing from the Mossi people in the northern Volta valleys of present-day Burkina Faso, this mask, crowned with a female figure, is worn during the funerary rites of revered women. It pays homage to one such figure - karan-wemba - whose advanced age, high rank, wisdom and experience elevate her to the status of a living ancestor, making her a precious intermediary between the living and the spirits of forebears. Most likely originating from the province of Yatenga, this mask attests to the refinement of its creator.
This mask, from the former Josef Müller collection, belongs to a corpus of at least seven known examples attributed to the same sculptor or workshop. Among them, one can cite the specimen held by the Stanley Museum of Art (inv. no. X1986.475), published in Roy, C., African Art from Iowa Private Collections (Iowa City, 1981, pp. 54–55, no. 42), as well as the one in the Penn Museum (inv. no. 68-35-2).