This rare and exceptional door lock is composed of two crossbeams, attesting it was reserved for a chieftainship door as an element of prestige. The crossbeams are sculpted in an old traditional crenellated fashion.
It represents the protective spirit of harvests, which takes care of the house and the granaries. The engraved patterns on the central part depict the scars worn by Mossi women who have given birth. The face, with an elongated neck, carries a very finely carved headdress. The lower part ends in a long tail of crocodile.
Apart from its extreme rarity, its construction, and its monumental size, this door lock is a masterpiece of Mossi art.
18^th / 19^th century or earlier.

Origin : Private collection, Brussels, 1990

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