Face mask "zakpai" · Côte d'Ivoire, Dan · ID: 3032236
Raimond Hillairet, Paris, France
Hans Hess, Basel, Switzerland (1978)
Eduard Hess, Basel, Switzerland
Description
wood, rich black patina, oval form with regular facial features, grooved scarifications framing the face, big round eyes with small drilled holes (originally framed by silver metal), nail above the forehead, slightly dam., paint rubbed off;
masks like the present one are called runner masks, or “running juju”. The mask is completed by a head ornament with big leaves “bülä” and a rough costume with short fibre skirt. Their “weapon” is a short branch while their companion beats a slit gong. They only appeared in dry season and their sole task was to control the cooking fire places within the village.
The object Face mask “zakpai” with the object ID 3032236 was part of the auction 68th tribal art auction on March 3, 2012. The object with the lot number 168 achieved a sales price of EUR 4,000 with an asking price of EUR 2,000.
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.
Comparing literature
Fischer, Eberhard, Himmelheber, Hans, Die Kunst der Dan, Zürich 1976, ill. 60 - 64
Exhibition
Première Exposition Retrospective Internationale des Arts De L' Afrique Et De L' Océanie, Cannes 1957 (confirmation available)