DAN MASKS with HEADDRESSES, Liberia and Ivory Coast

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DAN Mask 137 19" high $2000

DAN Mask 138 14" high $600

DAN Mask 139 17" high $600

DAN Mask 140 16" high $600

DAN Mask 167 25" high $800

DAN Mask 168 21" high $600

DAN Mask 169 15" high $600

DAN Mask 170 15" high $600

DAN Mask 171 23" high $600

DAN Mask 172 28" high $600

DAN Mask 173 20" high $900

DAN Mask 177 26" high $500

DAN Mask 174 13" high $800

DAN Mask 175 15" high $1000

DAN Mask 176 11.5" high $800

DAN Mask 182 10" high $400

DAN Mask 178 16" high $500

DAN Mask 179 17" high $500

DAN Mask 180 18" high $1000

DAN Mask 181 19" high $500

DAN Mask 183 17" high $500

DAN Mask 184 22"high $500

There are regional variations among the masks of the Dan people who live in the western part of Ivory Coast and eastern Liberia but they are generally characterized by a concave face, a pointed chin, a protruding mouth, an upturned nose and a high-domed forehead.

Now used principally in performance for tourists, the various masks had traditional functions ranging from entertainment to initiation to social control.

We recommend an excellent chapter on the masks of the Dan people, including the various styles and their functions, in The Tribal Arts of Africa by Jean-Baptiste Bacquart.