Mossi mask - Lot 18

Mossi mask Burkina Faso Wood and pigments H. 117 cm Provenance: Former - Former Monti collection, Italy - Galerie Monbrison, Paris, France. Publication: Christopher D. Roy, Mossi, Milan, 2015, pl 14. In the 15th century, horsemen from the north of present-day Ghana invaded the plains of the Volta-Blanche and subdued the local farming population, founding the first Mossi kingdom of Tenkodogo. In the Yatenga region, the Mossi attached great importance to karan wemba masks. Elegantly sculpted, they danced in honor of a woman whose great age, wisdom and experience had elevated her to the rank of living ancestor, the ideal intermediary between the world of the living and that of the beyond. Here, the woman is represented at the height of her physical beauty. The oval shape of this magnificent mask, combined with the central vertical ridge, undeniably evokes the Dogon masks of Mali, reflecting their shared history. Five centuries ago, when the first Mossi states developed, some of the Dogon living in this region were assimilated into Mossi society, while others fled to what is now Dogon country in the heart of the Bandiagara cliffs. The remarkable dynamism of the volumes, the play on successive rhythms and the juxtaposition of planes testify to the inventiveness and talent of Mossi sculptors.