Face mask "deangle" ·  Côte d'Ivoire, Dan · ID: 3039977

Description

light wood, greyish brown patina, of typical oval form with high forehead and narrow slit eyes, mouth with metal teeth, aglet on top of the head, patina strongly rubbed off, traces of old age, water spots, minor missing parts (forehead, rim, backside), crack, base;
base probably made by Kichizô Inagaki (1876-1951).
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.