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Artworks
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup:This mask is published in Land of the Flying Masks.
Sisala Mask with superstructure, wankr altar object
Southwest Central Burkina Faso
Wood, organic material
Height: 27 1/2 inches (69.9 cm)
Provenance:
Ex Alain Dufour
Estate of Thomas G.B. Wheelock
Published:
Christopher D. Roy, Thomas G.B. Wheelock. Land of the Flying Masks: Art and Culture in Burkina Faso, The Thomas G.B. Wheelock Collection. Munich, Berlin, London, New York: Prestel, 2007. Cat. 96
The fierce features of this exceptional old mask and its thick patina suggest that it was retired from performing to become a powerful shrine object on which sacrifices were made. The chameleon carved on the upper portion of the plank is a symbol of magical transformation.Further images