SIKIRE KAMBIRE (1896-1963, Gaoua, Burkina Faso). Wooden mask-portrait carved in relief with a well-drawn human face and finely executed headdress. Height: 22.5 cm. Width: 13 cm. Note: The appearance of this type of mask dates back to Henri Labouret, who was French colonial administrator of the Gaoua region from 1914 to 1924, and who commissioned Sikire Kambire to copy a Baule mask. Kambire was considered the most talented Lobi sculptor. He was trained by the great master Okuena of the "Gbokho" school of sculptors.

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