Mask with hinged jaw "gägon"
Côte d'Ivoire, Dan
Vendu
700 €
Provenance
Sepp Arnemann, Hamburg, GermanyTaille
H: 30 cm
H: 11.8 inch
Description
wood, black patina, with projecting articulated lower jaw covered with black and white fur, high domed forehead ornamented with three nails, the sides incised with narrow parallel bands, pierced around the rim, minor missing parts, slight traces of abrasion;
the mask was completed by a high tapering cylindrical helmet with feathers, a skirt of grass fibres and blue-white cloth wrapped around the upper part of the body. According to Hans Himmelheber these mask type surely had educational purposes in former times but is nowadays only used for entertainment of the village people.