Malian Masks

Bamana animal mask, Mali - representing a lion with short wide ears and open toothy mouth. A simple form with great presence in beautifully aged original old surface color with genui...

Bamana mask from Mali with deep set eyes, small highly placed ears, head crest extending down joining long prominent nose and the face with zig-zag pattern...

A simply magnificent work by the Bobo tribe in Burkina Faso, Mali. These masks, which share stylized features of humans and animals, are referred to as Butterfly masks (because o...

Emulating the graceful form of an antelope, this colorful mask by the Bozo people of Mali brought forth the animal’s protective spirit during lively group masquerades. Worn by a concealed dancer, the antelope mask...

Dressed in a rustling raffia skirt, a dancer once performed in this elongated mask at a funeral ceremony held by the Kurumba people of Mali. Emulating the graceful form of an antelop...

A wonderfully carved mask from the Bamana (Bambara) tribe of Mali. This mask, which has clear signs of wear and use, is a Kore mask and was made to be worn during initiation society ...

A fantastic mask. Warka masks are usually made of elongated carved wood and covered with copper. They are primarily used by the people of Mali in dances related to numerous societies...

Bamana Mask, Suruku Mali, 1940s.  

Coveted decorative African hand-carved wood mask with graphic elements, circa 1960s This is a decorative item from the 1960s, it was made for export, it is not an antique tribal mask...

Very old African wooden mask with brown patina, resin-like mass with nassa snails on the five tooth-like projecting horns, minor missing parts (chin, nose) and snails, traces of insect caused damage. This beautiful piece comes with a custom-made stand. According to Robert Goldwater, former director of New York’s now-defunct Museum of Primitive Art (MPA), He describes Ntomo face masks as "among the most interesting of the Bambara [or Bamana] masks." He recognizes formal variety in the carving of Ntomo face masks, but he also specifies that an "oval shaped human face surmounted by a high comb of vertical spikes or horns" distinguishes Ntomo face masks from other types of face masks. Research indicates that the Bambara mask...

Very old African carved wood head crest in the form of a long horned antelope with a very long snout with drilled nostrils and tongue showing ...

Mask of the Bamana in Mali, which is used in the initiation ceremonies of the ‘N’tomo society’. Initiates are taught survival skills, social customs, and religious principles. Of...