Female face mask "kpan" · Côte d'Ivoire, Baule · ID: 3043727

Name: Female face mask "kpan"
SKU: 3043727
Price: 1800 EUR
Availability: SoldOut

sold EUR 1,800

Provenance

M. Schüssler, Hamburg, Germany (acquired between 1980 and 1990)

Size

H: 31 cm/45 cm

H: 12.2 inch/17.7 inch

Description

wood, with crossbar

“Kpan” masks are part of the “goli” masquerade, a day-long spectacle that normally involves the whole village. They are performed as part of funeral ceremonies for high-ranking and respected members of the community and should provide entertainment.

Four pairs of male / female, red / black painted masks appear in a strictly pre- defined order: disc-shaped “kple kple” masks, helmet masks in the shape of animals “goli glin”, masks with rams’ horns “kpan pre” and finally two masks with portrait-like faces and elaborate hairstyles “kpan”.

“Kpan’s” performance is theatrically managed for greatest effect. When they arrive, it is nearly dusk, and women have been dancing and singing through the streets in anticipation, begging “kpan” to come. The women receive the masks as beloved personages, fanning them with scarves and dancing joyously beside them.

The object Female face mask “kpan” with the object ID 3043727 was part of the auction 89th Tribal Art Auction on July 7, 2018. The object with the lot number 183 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,800 with an asking price of EUR 900.

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.