A Very unusual carved wooden mask from the Nuna peoples, Burkina Faso, West Africa. This mask features a wonderful image of a Chameleon lizard crawling down the front of a very energetic face mask, painted with white kaolin clay and a black organic material. The mask has old iron staple repairs, created by the village blacksmith to repair an old fracture, and has a very well handled and worn patina on chin and interior edges,suggesting the mask was used over several years.Such masks were known as "Wamu" and their primary function is to dance and entertain the villagers. Unlike the sacred altar masks which never leave their home village, Wamu masks are able to travel through the bush to appear at market day dances or funerals some distance from their home village. These invented masks attract large numbers of spectators at performances, especially on market days during the dry season. Although they are less sacred than the revealed masks, they also embody the spirit of Su, the mask spirit, which is enshrined in the oldest and most sacred mask in the community. The spirit of Su can be harnessed to benefit the community or to cause harm to their enemies. When Su is properly appeased communal harmony is achieved.The mask measures 17 x 8 inches.Ex Frank Friedman collection, New York.

Fair, very well used and well handled.