A Dan/Bassa mask from the Eastern Ivory Coast, collected in the village N'Zérékoré, with a distinct forehead scarification resembling tight cornrows, the oval face is expressionless with a sharp chin and mouth agape showing gapped teeth; the nose is small with wide nostrils; eyes open in slits; the top of the head has har that is braided to the sides. Signs of use. Provenance Belo Mohamed Garba.

"Dan masks have been documented as the embodiment of at least a dozen artistic personalities. Among these are Deangle, who ventures into the village from the initiation camps to ask women for food; Tankagle and Bagle, who entertain through a range of aesthetically pleasing dances, skits, and mimes; Gunyege, whose mask is worn by a community's champion foot racers in competitions; and Bugle, who historically leads men into battle.  
Once they are divorced from their performance contexts, however, mask forms are difficult to identify. Performances of Bete and Wee masks may span the careers of many generations of wearers, contributing to the increasingly sacred status of these objects. A masquerade's vitality may also be transferred from one mask form to another. Over time, any respected Dan mask may eventually be elevated to the category gunagle, the mask that represents a village quarter, or gle wa, a judicial mask.”

Lit: The Arts of the Dan in the West Africa, Eberhard Fischer and Hans Himmelheber,1984

sold

Height: 23 cm
Weight: 0,85 kg incl. stand