Figure, Mossi; Burkina Faso
Wood; H. 511/2"
Mainly representing females in expressive
poses, Mossi figures were used by a political substratum
of leadership associated with original farming groups
rather than more recent overlords. They are displayed
at year-end sacrificial rites amid dancing and feasting
where they pertain to ancestors although their purpose
is markedly secular in their affirmation of a leader's
right to rule. Chris Roy wrote that this piece:
. . . Shows all of the usual and
desirable patterns of use and weathering over a
considerable period of time in Africa and appears
to have been carved by an exceptionally talented
artist working on commission for a traditional Mossi
chief, probably in the area south of Ouagadougou,
especially in the region of Sapone. Mossi posts
of this type are usually made in pairs, male and
female, to be erected at each side of the entrance
to a chief's compound residence, about six inches
from the mud brick wall. The second figure of the
pair that included your object may have been similar,
or it may have been female. A straw mat is slid
between the posts and the wall to serve as a door
to close the entrance at night. This pattern of
use results in the differentiation of wear that
are evident on the object in your collection: the
lower part of the post is more heavily weathered
than the upper portion because the base was splashed
with rainwater, while the head and shoulders were
protected by the overhang of the roof. Similarly,
the back of the figure shows less wear than the
front because it was close to the wall and protected
from occasional damage and weather. The post shows
both male and female characteristics–it has
both a beard and a woman's crest, both breasts and
penis. This is very much in accord with other Mossi
chief's figures that illustrate the sexually ambiguous
character of the idea chief, who represents both
the male and female elements of his community in
one. There are several other posts and figures from
the Mossi in collections around the world that display
these characteristics. . . . This object was carved
by an African carver for a traditional context,
commissioned by a Mossi chief and used in a town
or village. It is an unusually dramatic and expressive
carving that nonetheless fits in with the corpus
of known sculpture by the Mossi (Chris Roy,
2/15/90).
