SENOUFO MASK IVORY COAST Wood H.: 41 cm (16¹?? in.) A Senufo mask, Ivory Coast Provenance: Collection of Jean-Jacques Rotthier (1932–2009), Brussels, then passed down through the family  Combining human and zoomorphic features, this mask is distinguished by a pair of stylised legs emerging from its lower section, emphasising its role as an intermediary between the world of humans and that of the spirits. At the top of the composition stands a yellow-helmeted hornbill, an emblematic bird of West Africa, to which the Senufo attribute qualities of wisdom, intelligence and authority. A SENUFO MASK IVORY COAST Wood H.: 16¹?? in. Provenance: Jean-Jacques Rotthier Collection (1932–2009), Brussels, then by descent Combining human and zoomorphic features, this mask is distinguished by a pair of stylised legs projecting from its lower section, emphasising its role as an intermediary between the earthly and spiritual realms. Surmounting the composition is a yellow-crested hornbill, a bird native to West Africa and regarded by the Senufo as a symbol of wisdom, intelligence and leadership.