English: Mask, Senufo peoples, Côte d'Ivoire, Late 19th to early 20th century, Wood

Face masks are common among the Senufo and typically have human facial features and projections from the top and sides. The details of the masks vary, as do their names and meanings. Often the mask's projections are compared to sacrificial offerings such as chickens or a primordial animal such as the hornbill bird, the emblem of nurturing and fidelity. This mask is thin and subtly carved. The flat planes of the face and the concave shape of the buffalo horns-a secret metaphor of the Poro society imbued with positive meanings-are particularly striking.

(National Museum of African Art)