Mask "deangle" ·  Côte d'Ivoire, Dan · ID: 3035522

Description

wood, greyish brown encrusted patina, characteristic form with narrow see slits and forehead ridge, delicate nose and small mouth, slightly dam., traces of insect caused damage (aside the nose, left eye, mouth), missing part backside at the rim, metal base;
the mask is completed by a diadem-shaped bulge of fabric and a high towering conical headdress of red fabric. The costume consists of textile tippet and abundant grass fibre skirt. The dancer holds a cow tail in his hands.
“Deangle” literally means a “joking and smiling” mask character. The name implies that a friendly and beautiful appearance is described, determined to entertain the people. The “dean” mask characters belong to the circumcision camps (“mbon”) of young boys and girls. They act as mediators between the camp and the village.

Comparing literature

Fischer, Eberhard & Hans Himmelheber, Die Kunst der Dan, Zürich 1976, p. 41 ff.