Mossi Wan-Zega Mask, Based

The face is a long pale shield, and the eyes are only slots.

This wan-zega mask is Mossi, from Burkina Faso in West Africa, 20th century, made of wood and shown on a base. Among the Mossi, masks generally belong to clans and appear at funerals and other community occasions, with styles differing by region. A black ring surrounds each slotted eye. A ridge of small triangles runs down the pale face, beneath a dark dome and a long post ending in a pointed knob. Fifty-five inches high.

Just try looking away first.