Bobo Owl Mask from Burkina Faso
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A Bobo mask, Burkina Faso. This plank mask is carved from a heavy wood. The mask features stacked shapes of a circle, a rectangular, and a crescent moon at the top. The face of the mask depicts an owl. A protruding hook on the mask represents a hornbill beak. Original sheet metal repairs feature at the crescent moon. The mask is densely coloured with white kaolin and black soot pigments. Height 184 cm, width 38.5 cm, depth 24 cm. Provenance: Lim-Strutt collection, Aotearoa
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- Kaolin - Kaolin, also known as china clay, is a white clay mineral that is commonly used in the production of ceramics, paper, paint, and other products. It is composed primarily of the mineral kaolinite, which is a hydrated aluminum silicate. Kaolin is found in many parts of the world, but it is particularly abundant in the southeastern United States, where it is commonly mined. The mineral is formed by the weathering of rocks that contain aluminum silicates, such as feldspar and mica.
The resulting clay is often mixed with other minerals and materials to produce products with specific properties, such as strength, translucency, and whiteness. In the production of ceramics, kaolin is used to make porcelain, which is known for its strength, translucency, and whiteness. - Hornbill - Oriental antique descriptions occasionally refer to "hornbill" or "hornbill ivory" as the material from which the object is made. In fact the hornbill is a large bird, the helmeted hornbill, found in a few South-East Asian countries, and the name is also applied to the material obtained from a growth on the upper section of the beak of the bird, known as a casque.
In its natural form it is a yellow colour, but when the hornbill rubs its beak while preening its feathers, the growth turns a red colour.
As well as being used as a carving material in areas where the bird is found, hornbill became popular as a carving medium with the Chinese in the 19th century, and it was prized (and priced) ahead of ivory and jade.
The helmeted hornbill is listed in Appendix 1 of CITES, (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) meaning that trade in hornbill objects requires import and export permits.
the s natural ivory from the bird, native to Indonesia. The hornbill is now an endangered species, but due to the apparent age of the jewelry, this item would be legal for trade. Hornbill ivory is not a true ivory as it is not a dentine material, but rather a keratin. Hornbill ivory of this nature was often carved from the lower layer of the hornbill casque for the western market. The upper area, with a strong red coloration, was traded to the Eastern market. The upper areas of these pieces yet show some of the red coloring. The rest is in the strong yellowish color of natural hornbill.
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