Bobo / Bwa - Burkina Faso
06
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22
hours
44
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54
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Selected by Julien Gauthier
A decade of experience in historical arms, armour, and African art.
Estimate € 150 - € 200
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Wooden Bwa/Bobo cimier from Burkina Faso, sold with a large stand, in good condition; overall height with stand 1400 mm, height without stand 800 mm, width 200 mm, depth 280 mm.
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Description from the seller
Burkina Faso
Bobo / Bwa
Wood
Base height off the pedestal: 800mm - Pedestal height 1400mm
Width: 200mm
Depth: 280mm
Delivered with a large and tall pedestal that can be placed on the floor.
This piece is not a classic facial mask, but a helmet-masque (worn on the top of the head) originating from the Bwa people, a cultural community located on a territory straddling the center‑west of Burkina Faso and the southeast of Mali.
Although the file description mentions the Bwa ethnicity, this sculpture displays a geometric stylization and a polychrome checkerboard work that share strong affinities with the art of their direct neighbors: the Dogon (notably for the casque structure) and the Bobo.
Here is the complete analysis of its stylistic origin, symbolism, and ritual use:
1. Stylistic characteristics and morphology
The art of the peoples of the Niger bend and the Sahel of Burkina Faso is renowned for geometric abstraction and the use of two- or three-color graphic motifs. The files cimier_bwa-CI279.jpg and cimier_bwa-CI279-14.jpg highlight a highly architectural construction:
The hemispherical casque base: The lower part is carved into a calotte-shaped form that fits the dancer’s head. It extends downward into a stylized, flat, polygonal face, vertically divided by a relief nasal ridge. The edge of this face is outlined by a frieze of triangles painted in a zigzag pattern.
The tall openwork superstructure: What makes this helmet-masque distinctive is the large vertical monoxyle piece that crowns the casque. It consists of two large overlapped discs, widely fenestrated in their center. This vertical section adopts a zigzag or successive wave profile.
The checkerboard and triangular motifs: The discs and the tall structure are entirely painted with geometric, rhythmic motifs. There are alternating triangles and checkers using traditional pigments: white (kaolin-based), red-brown (lateritic earth), and black (plant or carbonaceous substances).
The totemic bird at the summit: The file cimier_bwa-CI279-14.jpg allows a detailed view of the sculpture’s summit. The structure is crowned by a horizontally carved stylized animal, very likely a hornbill or a savanna bird with a downward-curved beak, a protective motif common in the region.
2. Ritual use: Initiations and agricultural cult
Among the Bwa and neighboring populations, wooden sculpted and painted masks (like the famous plank masks) appear at pivotal moments of community life, mainly managed by blacksmith family lineages or mask societies.
Initiation rites for youths (Do): These helmet-masques are worn during initiation ceremonies that mark the passage of adolescents into adulthood. The young initiates learn to decode the secret language of the geometric motifs painted on the wood. Wearing the mask and mastering its dance is a physical test proving the initiates’ maturity.
The cult of nature spirits: Unlike leaf masks that embody the deity Do directly, wooden masks represent forest spirits (Nuna) or totemic animals that have intervened on behalf of the clan’s founding ancestors in origin myths.
Harvest festivals and funerals: The helmet-masque also appears during agricultural rituals before the first rains to solicit the land’s fertility from invisible forces, and during the funerals of notable individuals to honor their status and guide their soul.
3. Meaning of the geometric motifs
In this cultural zone of the savanna, nothing is purely decorative; each painted motif is a graphic sign that conveys a moral or religious teaching:
The zigzag and jagged lines: They often evoke the winding path of the ancestors, the course of the nourishing water, or the lightning that heralds beneficial rain.
The alternating white and dark triangles: They symbolize the world’s duality and the balance needed for life: day and night, the dry season and the rainy season, the ignorance of the profane (white/light that must be educated) and the knowledge of the initiates.
The summit bird: An intermediary between sky and earth, it embodies vigilance, spiritual protection, and the constant link between the world of the living and the spirits of the bush.
Packages are sent Monday through Saturday with insurance and tracking number.
Delivery in France within 1 to 3 days via Chronopost, 2 to 5 days across the European Union.
Delivery to the rest of Europe and worldwide via international Colissimo.
We speak English
Mask african art Afrikanische Maskenkunst arte de máscaras africanas arte delle maschere africane
statue african art Arte de estatuas africanas arte delle statue africane Afrikanische Maskenkunst
Máscara de estatua de galería de arte africano
Seller's Story
Passionate about World Arts and more specifically about African Art, we buy from collectors, former officials, military, health workers, public works staff who have worked in Africa and also in Côte d'Ivoire, from antique dealers and traders who roam across West Africa to find quality objects.
It is with pride that we present works that, beyond their power to beautify spaces, invite our collectors to resonate with the richness and depth of human expression through the most authentic art.
At Arts Ethniques Gallery, we have the privilege of offering our visitors an exclusive selection of artworks, all unique and original. Each piece presented is the outcome of a demanding artistic approach, driven by a singular vision and mastered craftsmanship, all elements that guarantee authenticity and value.
The works we offer are not industrial reproductions. They are individual creations, crafted with sensitivity and precision, each bearing its own story, identity and presence. Originality is the very foundation of our commitment to excellence. Thus, every mask and every statue in our collection is the subject of a rigorous selection, in order to preserve their rarity and singularity.
Acquiring a work from Arts Ethniques Gallery means owning a truly unique piece: a creation that embodies both talent, cultural memory and the expressive force of African art. It is also a lasting investment in a work whose artistic and emotional value transcends time.
We guarantee that every work leaving our gallery is an authentic piece, without replicas, bearing witness to the creativity, heritage and passion of the African artists who shaped them.
We invite you to participate in our gallery’s auctions with confidence. Each presented work is an original, unique and irreplaceable creation, selected with the greatest rigor to guarantee its authenticity and artistic value.
Whether you wish to enrich a personal collection or introduce an exceptional artwork into your space, Arts Ethniques Gallery offers a safe, transparent and professional setting to acquire remarkable pieces.
Art auctions are a privileged moment to discover rare works, capable of becoming the heart of a collection. Acquiring a work at our sales is not just buying an object: it is investing in a creation whose aesthetic value and cultural reach reinforce over time.
The pieces presented by Arts Ethniques Gallery testify not only to the talent and vision of the artists but also possess the ability to transform spaces and enrich the gaze of those who behold them.
Participating in our auctions is taking part in a singular experience, where the passion for art meets the rigors of collecting. Bidding on a work from Arts Ethniques Gallery goes beyond a simple transaction: it is a gesture of commitment and appreciation for art in its most authentic form.
We invite you to bid with passion and to join us in this adventure dedicated to discovery, transmission and celebration of art.
Perhaps your next heart piece is already waiting for you."
Translated by Google TranslateBurkina Faso
Bobo / Bwa
Wood
Base height off the pedestal: 800mm - Pedestal height 1400mm
Width: 200mm
Depth: 280mm
Delivered with a large and tall pedestal that can be placed on the floor.
This piece is not a classic facial mask, but a helmet-masque (worn on the top of the head) originating from the Bwa people, a cultural community located on a territory straddling the center‑west of Burkina Faso and the southeast of Mali.
Although the file description mentions the Bwa ethnicity, this sculpture displays a geometric stylization and a polychrome checkerboard work that share strong affinities with the art of their direct neighbors: the Dogon (notably for the casque structure) and the Bobo.
Here is the complete analysis of its stylistic origin, symbolism, and ritual use:
1. Stylistic characteristics and morphology
The art of the peoples of the Niger bend and the Sahel of Burkina Faso is renowned for geometric abstraction and the use of two- or three-color graphic motifs. The files cimier_bwa-CI279.jpg and cimier_bwa-CI279-14.jpg highlight a highly architectural construction:
The hemispherical casque base: The lower part is carved into a calotte-shaped form that fits the dancer’s head. It extends downward into a stylized, flat, polygonal face, vertically divided by a relief nasal ridge. The edge of this face is outlined by a frieze of triangles painted in a zigzag pattern.
The tall openwork superstructure: What makes this helmet-masque distinctive is the large vertical monoxyle piece that crowns the casque. It consists of two large overlapped discs, widely fenestrated in their center. This vertical section adopts a zigzag or successive wave profile.
The checkerboard and triangular motifs: The discs and the tall structure are entirely painted with geometric, rhythmic motifs. There are alternating triangles and checkers using traditional pigments: white (kaolin-based), red-brown (lateritic earth), and black (plant or carbonaceous substances).
The totemic bird at the summit: The file cimier_bwa-CI279-14.jpg allows a detailed view of the sculpture’s summit. The structure is crowned by a horizontally carved stylized animal, very likely a hornbill or a savanna bird with a downward-curved beak, a protective motif common in the region.
2. Ritual use: Initiations and agricultural cult
Among the Bwa and neighboring populations, wooden sculpted and painted masks (like the famous plank masks) appear at pivotal moments of community life, mainly managed by blacksmith family lineages or mask societies.
Initiation rites for youths (Do): These helmet-masques are worn during initiation ceremonies that mark the passage of adolescents into adulthood. The young initiates learn to decode the secret language of the geometric motifs painted on the wood. Wearing the mask and mastering its dance is a physical test proving the initiates’ maturity.
The cult of nature spirits: Unlike leaf masks that embody the deity Do directly, wooden masks represent forest spirits (Nuna) or totemic animals that have intervened on behalf of the clan’s founding ancestors in origin myths.
Harvest festivals and funerals: The helmet-masque also appears during agricultural rituals before the first rains to solicit the land’s fertility from invisible forces, and during the funerals of notable individuals to honor their status and guide their soul.
3. Meaning of the geometric motifs
In this cultural zone of the savanna, nothing is purely decorative; each painted motif is a graphic sign that conveys a moral or religious teaching:
The zigzag and jagged lines: They often evoke the winding path of the ancestors, the course of the nourishing water, or the lightning that heralds beneficial rain.
The alternating white and dark triangles: They symbolize the world’s duality and the balance needed for life: day and night, the dry season and the rainy season, the ignorance of the profane (white/light that must be educated) and the knowledge of the initiates.
The summit bird: An intermediary between sky and earth, it embodies vigilance, spiritual protection, and the constant link between the world of the living and the spirits of the bush.
Packages are sent Monday through Saturday with insurance and tracking number.
Delivery in France within 1 to 3 days via Chronopost, 2 to 5 days across the European Union.
Delivery to the rest of Europe and worldwide via international Colissimo.
We speak English
Mask african art Afrikanische Maskenkunst arte de máscaras africanas arte delle maschere africane
statue african art Arte de estatuas africanas arte delle statue africane Afrikanische Maskenkunst
Máscara de estatua de galería de arte africano
Seller's Story
Passionate about World Arts and more specifically about African Art, we buy from collectors, former officials, military, health workers, public works staff who have worked in Africa and also in Côte d'Ivoire, from antique dealers and traders who roam across West Africa to find quality objects.
It is with pride that we present works that, beyond their power to beautify spaces, invite our collectors to resonate with the richness and depth of human expression through the most authentic art.
At Arts Ethniques Gallery, we have the privilege of offering our visitors an exclusive selection of artworks, all unique and original. Each piece presented is the outcome of a demanding artistic approach, driven by a singular vision and mastered craftsmanship, all elements that guarantee authenticity and value.
The works we offer are not industrial reproductions. They are individual creations, crafted with sensitivity and precision, each bearing its own story, identity and presence. Originality is the very foundation of our commitment to excellence. Thus, every mask and every statue in our collection is the subject of a rigorous selection, in order to preserve their rarity and singularity.
Acquiring a work from Arts Ethniques Gallery means owning a truly unique piece: a creation that embodies both talent, cultural memory and the expressive force of African art. It is also a lasting investment in a work whose artistic and emotional value transcends time.
We guarantee that every work leaving our gallery is an authentic piece, without replicas, bearing witness to the creativity, heritage and passion of the African artists who shaped them.
We invite you to participate in our gallery’s auctions with confidence. Each presented work is an original, unique and irreplaceable creation, selected with the greatest rigor to guarantee its authenticity and artistic value.
Whether you wish to enrich a personal collection or introduce an exceptional artwork into your space, Arts Ethniques Gallery offers a safe, transparent and professional setting to acquire remarkable pieces.
Art auctions are a privileged moment to discover rare works, capable of becoming the heart of a collection. Acquiring a work at our sales is not just buying an object: it is investing in a creation whose aesthetic value and cultural reach reinforce over time.
The pieces presented by Arts Ethniques Gallery testify not only to the talent and vision of the artists but also possess the ability to transform spaces and enrich the gaze of those who behold them.
Participating in our auctions is taking part in a singular experience, where the passion for art meets the rigors of collecting. Bidding on a work from Arts Ethniques Gallery goes beyond a simple transaction: it is a gesture of commitment and appreciation for art in its most authentic form.
We invite you to bid with passion and to join us in this adventure dedicated to discovery, transmission and celebration of art.
Perhaps your next heart piece is already waiting for you."
Translated by Google TranslateDetails
Ethnic group/ culture
Bobo / Bwa
Country of Origin
Burkina Faso
Material
Wood
Sold with stand
Yes
Condition
Good condition
Sold by
