Dan mask

Africa | Liberia

Dan mask

Liberia

Déanglé mask
Dan-Gio
Liberia – Ivory Coast

Carved wood, pigments, metal
19th or early 20th century
Height: 23 cm – 9 in.

Provenance
Collection Pace Primitive, New York, May 1976
Collection Martin Lerner, New York
Collection Pace Primitive, New York, acquired from the above early 2000s
Collection Richard E. Anderson, Director Emeritus of Aldridge Museum, Connecticut, USA
Private collection, Florida, USA
Collection Guilhem Montagut, Barcelona, Spain

Dan Gio mask Lerner 23 cm / Galerie FLAK Price: on request
Face masks played a fundamental role in regulating the social and ritual life of the Dan people of Côte d'Ivoire and neighboring groups in Liberia. « Each mask was considered to be an individual with its own name, and was the embodiment of a specific spirit » (Eberhard Fischer, "Les Maîtres de la sculpture de Côte d’Ivoire", Quai Branly Museum, Paris, 2015, page 108).
These masks were neither representations of ancestors nor portraits. Instead, they acted as intermediaries bridging the human world and the realm of spirits. They served as agents of control, ensuring order and harmony within villages.
Explore the entire collection
Africa
Africa | Nigeria / Benin
Africa | Nigeria
Africa | Nigeria
Africa | Nigeria
Africa | Cameroon
Africa | Ivory Coast
Africa | Democratic Republic of the Congo
Africa | Democratic Republic of the Congo
Africa | Democratic Republic of the Congo
Africa | Mali
Africa | Mali
Africa | Cameroon
Africa | Mali
Africa | Democratic Republic of the Congo
Africa | Burkina Faso
Africa | Burkina Faso
Africa | Cameroon
Africa | Burkina Faso
Africa | Democratic Republic of the Congo
Africa | Nigeria
Africa | Mali
Africa | Burkina Faso
Africa | Democratic Republic of the Congo
Africa | Democratic Republic of the Congo
Africa | Gabon
Africa | Mali
Africa | Nigeria
Africa | Nigeria
Africa | Nigeria
Africa | Nigeria
Africa | Nigeria
Africa | Nigeria
Africa | Nigeria
Africa | Nigeria
Africa | Democratic Republic of the Congo
Africa | Democratic Republic of the Congo
Africa | Democratic Republic of the Congo
Africa | Nigeria
Africa | Nigeria
Africa | Nigeria
Africa | Democratic Republic of the Congo
Africa | Democratic Republic of the Congo
Africa | Democratic Republic of the Congo
Africa | Democratic Republic of the Congo
Africa | Ivory Coast
Africa | Nigeria
Africa | Ivory Coast
Africa | Nigeria
Africa | Gabon
Africa | Nigeria
Africa | Gabon
Africa | Democratic Republic of the Congo
Africa | Democratic Republic of the Congo
Africa | Nigeria
Africa | Sahara
Africa | Ghana
Discover our collections
CoLLECTIoNS
Newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter