Mask "nwenka" · Burkina Faso, Bobo · ID: 3037327
Galerie Vömel, Düsseldorf, Germany
Description
wood, painted with white, red and indigo blue pigment, eyes and board-shaped superstructure in openwork design, painted with jagged patterns, slightly dam., minor missing parts (nose), cracks, rep. (with strips of animal skin), abrasion of paint;
the “nwenka” mask is one of the oldest and most sacred wooden masks that perform at Bobo masquerades. Tradition claims it dated from the time of creation when “wuro”, the Creator God, molded the world from moist clay and made creatures to inhabit it. The “nwenka” masked dance imitates “wuro’s” creating the world. The masks are worn with a costume of thick fibres.
The object Mask “nwenka” with the object ID 3037327 was part of the auction 78th tribal art auction on October 18, 2014. The object with the lot number 180 achieved a sales price of EUR 3,300 with an asking price of EUR 1,800.
You can find more Masks and other popular object types on our related topic pages. You may also be interested in our page on African art.