Bwa Plank Mask, Burkina Faso

Maurice Bonnefoy, New York
Balene McCormick, Santa Fe, acquired from the above in 1989

According to Wheelock (2007: 410, text to pl. 140), plank masks such as the offered lot "are the major artistic expression of the southern Bwa. The masks are signboards or tablets on which the graphic patterns communicate the ethical and moral values of the community. [...] The black and white checkerboard [...] represents the value of lifelong learning."