NUNUMA ARTIST

Therianthropic Hyena Mask

Burkina Faso

Late 19th/early 20th century

Wood, enamel paint,, seeds

Height 16in (40.6cm)

Provenance

Harry A. Franklin Gallery (1904-1983), Beverly Hills

Frederick M. Nicholas Collection, Beverly Hills, acquired 22 July 1986

Literature

Roy, Christopher, Art of the Upper Volta Rivers, Alain & Francoise Chaffin, Paris, 1987, fig. 180

As noted by Roy (Ibid., p. 221), “This [is] one of the most ferocious of Voltaic hyena mask. The eyes were covered with beeswax into which red seeds were stuck.”