Face mask "karan wemba" · Burkina Faso, Mossi · ID: 3048749
sold
EUR 1,200
Provenance
Hermann Sommerhage, Duisburg, GermanyWerner Zintl, Worms, Germany (2007)
Size
H: 108 cm
H: 42.5 inch
Description
wood, the objects surface structure heavily marked by insect caused damage, indigenous repair, rest., base
Masks “karan wemba” were danced at the funeral of women who were particularly revered by the community because of their long, exemplary lives and wisdom.
The performance of the mask should not only honour the descendent, but also the female progenitor and founder of the clan, who is embodied by the female figure on top of the mask.
Comparing literature
Roy, Christopher D., Land of the flying masks, München 2007, cat. 122