Mask "deangle" · Côte d'Ivoire, Dan · ID: 3037804
not available anymore
Provenance
Pierre Guerre, Marseille, FranceLoudmer, Paris, 20 juin 1996, Lot 42
Christie’s Amsterdam, 11 december 2001, lot 2533
Size
H: 26 cm
H: 10.2 inch
Description
wood, brown patina, characteristic form: a concave vaulted facial plane with horizontally deepened eyezone and narrow see slits, raised vertical forehead ridge, metal teeth (partly broken out), matt washing patina, minor missing parts through insect caused damage, abrasion of paint (nose), base;
the “dean” mask characters belong to the circumcision camps (“mbon”) of young boys and girls. They act as mediator between camp and village and they are responsible for food and protection of the initiates. They neither sing nor dance and they are not accompanied by musicians, but they joke with the women and ask them to send plenty of food to the camp.