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 A Dan Mahou mask from the Man region, village Touba. Ivory Coast, close to Liberia; called ‘Gegon’, a long beak carved out from the same piece, a large nose with prominent nostrils, framed by crescent-shaped almond eyes, a slightly domed forehead, zoomorphic tapering ears, above the forehead ornamental patterns; reddish brown patina, partly encrusted, traces of age and ritual use. Provenance Mohamed Belo Garba. Masked dancers who perform with masks such as the present one wear a full body costume made of fabric and plant fibres, as well as a helmet-like crest embellished with a décor of cowries and feathers on their head. The mask figure known as ‘Gegon' dances for entertainment in the villages of the northern Dan or plays the role of a guardian in the initiation camps in the ‘bush’. The present ‘Gegon’ beak mask has remnants of encrusted sacrifications, in particular on the top and on the cheeks. 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 Himmelheber, Zürich, 1997. 700 - 900,- Euro |
 photo: wolfgang-jaenicke.com, for more information, please write us an e-mail with the identification number of the photo identification no. BBC13357.jpg |
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