A Superb and Important Northern Bobo Helmet Mask, Burkina Faso

bolo, the helmet-shaped mask with facial plane extending to the bottom, the semi-spherical mouth beneath the fin-like nose bisecting the semi-spherical coffee-bean eyes, small C-shaped ears to the side, the whole surmounted by a dramatically backswept C-shaped element with pyramidal design in relief; 'EN 37' in gold metallic pen on the inside; fine varied brown patina with red and blue pigment.

Henri Kamer, Paris and New York, by 1966
William Wright, New York
Marc and Denyse Ginzberg, Rye
Lance and Roberta Entwistle, London (invoice no. 'MA 02004 le')

Brussels, Studio 44 - Passage 44, Haute-Volta, September 5 - 23, 1973

Henri Kamer (ed.), Recent Aquisitions, New York, 1967, unpaginated (fol. 48)
Henri Kamer, Haute-Volta, Paris, 1973, p. 25
Christopher Roy, Art of the Upper Volta Rivers, Paris, 1987, p. 340, ill. 295 (viewn front and profile)

good condition overall; C-shaped element on top broken in 2/3 and original segment re-attached; minor age cracks on helmet and crest; permanently mounted, two screws inserted on inside; fine varied brown patina with red and blue pigment.
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.

Roy (1987: 323) notes: "It is very difficult to categorize the vast numbers of Bobo mask types, for even in a small village there are often twenty or more different masks, each with a name, a role to play, gestures, a dance, songs, and [an] entire character with virtues and vices." Masks of the bolo type were entertainment masks created and performed by Bobo smiths and "the imagination of the artist is free to create innovative forms" (ibid.: 329).

The mask from the Bohlen Collection is a highly innovative example. The flat facial plane stands in contrast to the bulging mouth and eyes, creating a tension between two-dimensional and three-dimensional forms of representation. By this juxtaposition the artist manages to draw the viewers attention to the dramatic facial expression which is reinforced by the backswept C-shaped element on top of the mask.

The treatment of the eyes, nose and forehead of the Bohlen mask is virtually identical to one mask in The British Museum, London (Fagg 1965: 25), and a second one in the Rietberg Museum, Zurich (Roy 1987: 339, fig. 294). It is likely that all three masks were made by the same artist.