Beak mask "gägon" · Côte d'Ivoire, Dan/Diomande · ID: 3035910
Description
wood, matt blackish patina, eye zone and beak spread with a thick layer of mass, the movable jaw fixed with plant fibre, the lower jaw coated with animal skin, the upper jaw covered with black (apes)-hair, grooved tattoos on both sides of the face, slightly dam., missing parts backside at the rim, crack (forehead);
according to Hans Himmelheber this mask type appeared on sunday mornings for entertainment of the village people, sometimes accompanied by small orchestras, moving and dancing in the midst of the people. In former times the mask type surely had educational purposes with his songs and sayings but nowadays it is used for entertainment only.
The object Beak mask “gägon” with the object ID 3035910 was last part of the auction 75th tribal art auction at November 30, 2013 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 282.
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