Beak mask "gägon" ·  Côte d'Ivoire, Dan - Diomandé · ID: 3037784

Description

wood, matt blackish patina, eye zone and beak spread with a thick layer of mass, the jaw covered with black (apes)-hair, grooved tattoos on both sides of the face, min. dam., small missing parts, cracks, traces of abrasion;
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 its songs and sayings but nowadays it is used for entertainment only.

The object Beak mask “gägon” with the object ID 3037784 was last part of the auction 78th tribal art auction at October 18, 2014 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 225 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,400.

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.