Passport mask "ma go" in case · Côte d'Ivoire, Dan · ID: 3035838
Heinz Kolerski, Fellbach near Stuttgart, Germany
Description
wood, shiny blackish brown patina, kaolin, with narrow eyes and forehead tattoo, small case of raffia cloth, spread with mass on the outside, min. dam., slightly frayed;
such miniature masks are possessed by individuals who usually keep them carefully hidden in a pocket or in a kind of cloth or raffia case, like private objects endowed with the power to protect the owner. The minimask is kept as if it were a kind of portable personal altar on which one performs sacrifices in order to propitiate its powers and reinforce the potent but also volatile magical energy which it carries.The palm oil with which the mask is periodically rubbed, confers a much appreciated patina on it.
The object Passport mask “ma go” in case with the object ID 3035838 was part of the auction 75th tribal art auction on November 30, 2013. The object with the lot number 80 achieved a sales price of EUR 550 with an asking price of EUR 450.
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Comparing literature
Tagliaferri, Aldo, Miniature masks from West Africa, Milan 1997, 18 ff.