West Africa, Liberia or Ivory Coast, Dan peoples, ca. late 19th to early 20th century CE. An intriguing and highly-stylized face mask, the face hand-carved from hard wood. The face is characterized by an enormous nose, large bulging eyes with narrow slit-form openings, a pair of conical cheek protrusions, a crested brow, and a pair of horns which curve just above two carved eye holes. The mouth has a prominent upper lip, curved similar to the nose, with an articulated mandible secured by small nails and thin leather straps. Dozens of small perforations line the periphery of the verso and allow for the suspension of a large textile costume. The face is decorated with dozens of petite wooden and metal prongs, and the verso is carved out for wear. Covered in dark-brown pigment and lustrous light-brown patina, this is a beautiful example from Western Africa! Custom wooden display stand included. Size: 8" W x 12.75" H (20.3 cm x 32.4 cm); 16" H (40.6 cm) on included custom stand.

The Dan people, who occupy portions of Liberia and Cote d’Ivoire, produce masks for nearly every element of occasion of their society, including education, war, peace, and entertainment. Dan artisans, when crafting these masks, looked to the natural world for inspiration and would then go beyond that to create an abstract and stylized rendering. Such masks were created to connect the owner with a specific spirit that is believed to offer guidance and protection. In Mande, the Dan language, masks are referred to as "gle" or "ge," which is also the term for the supernatural beings who live outside the village and who can inhabit such masks during ritual dances and celebrations; they were typically kept safe in sacred huts when not in use.

A similar but less-detailed example hammered for $32,500 at Sotheby's, New York "The Collection of Allan Stone: African, Oceanic, and Indonesian Art - Volume One" Auction (sale number N09040, November 15, 2013, lot 58): http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2013/so-stone-n09040/lot.58.html

Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-collection of the late Peter Arnovick, Menlo Park, California, USA

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#133031

Expected losses to portions of eyes, nose, mouth, horns, verso, brow, and peripheries. Surface wear and abrasions commensurate with age, small chips to most features, with some discoloration, and inactive insect damage. Nice earthen deposits, pigmentation remains, and light-brown patina throughout.