African mask, Burkina Faso, 20th century

African mask, Burkina Faso, 20th century.
Carved and polychrome wood.
Measurements: 60 x 15 x 9.5 cm.

A carved and polychrome wooden mask featuring geometric elements, with a bas-relief of a crocodile on the lower part. In this type of magical and religious object from traditional Africa, nothing is left to chance, and everything— even the smallest detail, conforms to a coded, initiatory language, the meaning of which is not accessible to all members of the cultural group for which they were created, but rather, often, only to the most experienced initiates—the elders who have passed through the various stages of training and initiation.