- 47
Bobo Molo Mask, Burkina Faso
Estimate
8,000 - 12,000 USD
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Description
- wood, paint
- Height: 62 1/2 in (159 cm)
Provenance
Raymond Wielgus, Tucson
Merton D. Simpson, New York
Allan Stone, New York
Merton D. Simpson, New York
Allan Stone, New York
Condition
Very good condition for an item of this age and type. Chip below proper right eye with an indigenous repair. Vertical age cracks. Marks, nicks, scratches, abrasions, and wear consistent with age and use. Fiber attachments are dry and fragile. Merton D. Simpson Gallery inventory number "287" painted in white under proper right edge of helmet. Very fine aged layered crusty surface of red and black pigment. Drilled with two screws behind mask for attachment to western metal base.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
Molo is one of the most important and sacred masks exclusively used by Bobo blacksmiths in the cults centered around the powerful spirit Dwo. According to Roy (1987: 328), the "sacred masks are representative, rather than representational masks, and do not represent any living, tangible being, human or animal. As a result these masks are abstract and stylized. A mask with human features may have added to it forward-curving antelope horns and a great bird's beak because it represents a character of Dwo that does not take human or animal form. Similarly, animal shapes do not mean the mask represents an animal, but recall the spirit of an animal which saved the founding ancestor of a clan. Allegorical and nonrepresentational, the masks incarnate the spirit of Dwo, the son of Wuro."