A Dan/Kran mask, Liberia/Ivory Coast, of hollowed oval form, a large snout showing a tongue and four curved teeth, on each side a protruding tusk, a powerful broad nose framed by tubular protrusions, pierced triangular eyes, accentuated cheeks, the forehead overhanging and decorated with a band of rectangular ornaments, atop of the head two iron nails, the mask pierced through at the rim for attachment; dark brown and white patina, traces of age and ritual use, old authentic repairs on the head, several cracks, incl. stand.

Lit.: Eberhard Fischer and Hans Himmelheber: The Arts of the Dan in West Africa, Museum Rietberg, Zürich, 1984; Eberhard Fischer: Dan Artists: The Sculptors Tame, Si, Tompieme and Sõn- Their Personalities and Work, Zurich, 2014; Lorenz Homberger (Hrsg.): Masken der Wè und Dan Elfenbeinküste. Die Sammlung des Schweizer Malers Charles Hug, Paris 1928-31 mit einem Beitrag zum Maskenwesen der Wè von Hans Himmelhebe, Zürich, 1997; Alain-Michel Boyer: We. Visions of Africa, Milan 2019.

sold

Height: 45 cm
Weight: 2.2 kg (incl. stand)