Dan Deangle Mask, Initiation Dance, West Africa

West Africa, Ivory Coast, Dan peoples, ca. 1900–1960 CE. A serene oval face carved in dense hardwood, its features pared to the Dan ideal of composed beauty. The high domed forehead is divided by a subtle median ridge; narrow slit eyes open beneath arched brows, the nose is slender with flaring nostrils, and full parted lips close over a delicately pointed chin. Small ears are rendered in crisp relief, and a rim of attachment holes rings the perimeter for the raffia and cloth costume once lashed to it. Traces of white pigment survive around the eyes, and the surface carries a deep russet to near-black patina from handling and use. Masks of this gentle, feminine cast, most often identified as deangle, danced in village entertainments and in the initiation of boys. Custom base. Size: 8.75" W x 5.25" H (22.2 cm W x 13.3 cm H).

Dan masking is not a single institution but a graded society of spirits, each with its own voice, gait, and mandate. The gentle-featured type, deangle, embodies a benevolent female forest spirit and serves the men's initiation camp (the bush school), carrying food to the initiates, mediating between camp and village, and appearing at entertainments and dances. Its aesthetic vocabulary, oval face, unbroken planes, slit or narrowed eyes, was described by Dan carvers themselves as an ideal of human beauty, and it stands in deliberate contrast to the bulging-eyed, tusked masks (bugle, gunye ge) associated with masculine force and social control.

Masks were owned, named, fed, and inherited; a mask that had proven its power was repaired rather than replaced. Old breaks along the upper edge answered with fresh perforations, as here, are the physical record of a mask kept in service across generations.

Provenance: Ex. Michael Oliver, NYC.

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Item #

73429

Condition
The upper edge has sustained an old loss and was thoughtfully re-perforated to permit continued attachment and ceremonial use, a telling indication that the mask remained valued and in active service despite the damage. Areas of encrusted deposits and surface wear further attest to its age and prolonged use.

Buyer's Premium
30%