Fire-breathing Helmet Mask Senufo People Ivory Coast Wood H. 80 Cm African Art

Fire-breathing mask Senufo people Ivory CoastThe composition of this beautiful poniugo mask is quite classic, combining a hyena head with a crocodile jaw framed by warthog tusks and topped with long antelope horns. A hornbill and a chameleon - important animals in Senufo mythology - are here sculpted in the round on the forehead. Despite its menacing appearance, this type of mask had a protective vocation, associated with death, sometimes intervening in the initiatory framework of the poro, sometimes in funerary rituals. Its main function was to wage war against the evil forces that threaten the well-being of society. Although the name poniugo means "poro head" or "funeral head" depending on the version, Westerners nicknamed them "fire-eaters" because these masks always danced at nightfall, the dancer blowing on embers held in front of his mouth to make sparks fly. Wood Length 80 cm, Height 40 cm Width 32 cm Good general condition, usual indigenous restorations Provenance: Collected in situ by Mr. N...between 1931 and 1935 Beautiful old example of a so-called "fire-eater" mask. Interior patina showing traces of repeated wearing.