Rare African Burkina Faso Carved Bwa Comb and Crocodile Plank Mask. The size of this piece indicates it was likely made for regal purposes, with an exception six-pronged comb at top connected by a hollow diamond shape to the main body of the mask, which is a grotesque interpretation of a crocodile with a fish captured in the end of its jaws. The comb symbolizes prestige and mediation, a style adopted from the Luba people, while the crocodile symbolized deep ancestral roots, likely meaning this mask was made specifically for a union between two large households, as a blessing for auspicious results. 

Size: 44 1/2 x 7 x 5 1/4 in. 

African Bwa plank masks (specifically nwantantay) from Burkina Faso are large, wooden, geometric, and often vertical, representing water or bush spirits, rather than direct ancestors, and are used in purification, agricultural, and initiation rituals. Based on religious and cultural practices assimilated from the neighboring Nuna people in the early 20th Century, they feature high-contrast red, white, and black pigments with stylized imagery of insects (butterflies, bats), animals (hawks, owls), or abstract patterns.

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