Anthropomorphic face mask "kpan", early 20th century · Côte d'Ivoire, Baule · ID: 3052039
Olaf Pfennig, Hannover, Germany
Description
heavy wood, pigments, metal nails, rest.
For a comparable object, see AHDRC 0203057.
“Kpan” masks are part of the “goli” masquerade, a day-long spectacle that normally involves the whole village. “Goli” can be performed both as an entertainment and for the funerals of important men.
Four pairs of masks appear, two by two, in a fixed order: first a pair of disc-faced masks “kple kple”, next a pair of animal helmet masks “goli glen”, third a pair of horned face masks “kpan pre”, and finally two human-faced masks with crested hairdos “kpan”, embodying the ideal woman. “Kpan” (“the older woman”) is considered the wife of “goli glin” (= the older man").
The object Anthropomorphic face mask “kpan”, early 20th century with the object ID 3052039 was last part of the auction Collectors’ Items Sale at September 24, 2025 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 128.
You can find more Masks and other popular object types on our related topic pages. You may also be interested in our page on African art.