Bozo Sogo Bo Masquerade Sculpture of Tortoise

Gray, yellow and black, with an expression of mild alarm and a bright red mouth.

This Sogo Bo masquerade sculpture of a tortoise is Bozo, from Mali, West Africa, dating to the 20th century, in painted wood. Bozo and Bamana communities along the Niger are well known for sogo bo puppet theater, where carved animal figures perform in masquerades, often with lively commentary. Here a raised shell, banded in yellow, carries rows of squares and triangles in black and white over a pale gray body. The round head on a striped neck has red-ringed eyes and a red-painted mouth. A short tail ends the back. It is 13.25 inches wide, 6 deep and 5.25 high.

It has seen the audience, and the audience has seen it.