93 - Rooster mask (Wan-noraogo); Mossi, Burkina Faso, 20th century.

Rooster mask (Wan-noraogo); Mossi, Burkina Faso, 20th century. Carved and polychrome wood. Measurements: 18 x 43 x 17 cm. Provenance: Estate of Ramon Martí Alsina and Ricard Martí Aguiló. Artistic and heritage collection originating in the legacy of Catalan painters Ramon Martí Alsina (1826–1894), a seminal figure of 19th-century Catalan Realism, and his son Ricard Martí Aguiló (1857–1935). Passed down and enriched across successive generations, the collection brings together works from the original holdings of both artists alongside acquisitions made by their descendants. Dedicated to preserving and recovering the family legacy, the descendants actively reacquired works by the painters as they entered the market, progressively expanding the collection to encompass paintings, sculptures, archaeological artifacts, and other items of artistic and historical significance. A zoomorphic mask depicting a rooster, recognizable by its characteristic serrated crest and elongated beak. The stylization of the forms and the synthesis of the animal features give the piece a marked expressive power, characteristic of traditional Mossi sculpture. This type of mask is associated with ceremonial dances and ritual celebrations, in which zoomorphic elements take on symbolic meaning within community life.