Tribal Art

Masque Dan (N° 16593)

An actor of the social order, the Dan mask is, according to Eberhard Fisher, female or male. Consistent with the criteria of the women's masks gle mu , with an oval and regular face, ajar eyelids, a thin nose and a protruding and luscious mouth, this copy is accompanied by a goatee of vegetable fibres. This type of mask is worn by a dancer evolving with graceful gestures. Glossy dark brown patina, kaolin-surrounded look. For the Dan, or Yacouba, living in western Côte d'Ivoire and Liberia, the "d-" force that would animate the world would manifest itself in sculpted masks. It is in this way that she seeks to bring knowledge to man in order to support him, using the channel of dreams beforehand. The spirits then indicate how to name the mask they wish to see made. These masks of different types have social, spiritual and political functions, often evolving over time.
ref.: "Art of Sub-Saharan Africa" C. Mullen Kreamer