Dan talisman or passeport mask - SOLD OUT
A miniature wooden mask with very good patina to the surface. The mask is carved to the front with simple, stylised features that convey a sense of power. The brow is deeply carved with the faint hint of eyes beneath. The nose is short and the lower part of the face is disproportionately long with a very slight dished oval area to the bottom to represent the open mouth. To the top of the head is a hole with cord for hanging. The back of the mask is flat and has carved rounded sides. Mounted on a custom made stand.
As well as the Lega, the Dan also produced small masks that were not meant to be worn over the face in the traditional sense of a mask. Instead these were kept in sacred areas and brought out during secret society rituals and displayed on racks as part of the narrative associated with the ancestors. The Dan passport masks were also sewn onto clothes, kept in small leather pouches or suspended from cords to hang at the small of the back to act as talismans for the protection of the wearer.
01034
Data sheet
- Presumed dating
- Mid XXth century
- Size
- 10 x 5,5 cm
- Ethnic group
- Material(s)
- Wood
- Country
- Origin
- Tribal art collection France
- Stand
- Included
- Condition
- Excellent
A miniature wooden mask with very good patina to the surface. The mask is carved to the front with simple, stylised features that convey a sense of power. The brow is deeply carved with the faint hint of eyes beneath. The nose is short and the lower part of the face is disproportionately long with a very slight dished oval area to the bottom to represent the open mouth. To the top of the head is a hole with cord for hanging. The back of the mask is flat and has carved rounded sides. Mounted on a custom made stand.
As well as the Lega, the Dan also produced small masks that were not meant to be worn over the face in the traditional sense of a mask. Instead these were kept in sacred areas and brought out during secret society rituals and displayed on racks as part of the narrative associated with the ancestors. The Dan passport masks were also sewn onto clothes, kept in small leather pouches or suspended from cords to hang at the small of the back to act as talismans for the protection of the wearer.