DAN STYLE MASKS 3, Ivory Coast and Liberia

Dan Style Mask 102 40" high $400

Dan Style Mask 105 18" high $300

Dan Style Mask 107 10" high $300

Dan Style Mask 110 15" high $250

Dan Style Mask 111 20" high $300

Dan Style Mask 113 14" high $400

Dan Style Mask 132 16" high $300

Dan Style Mask 134 15" high $200

Dan Style Mask 136 14" high $500

Despite their appearance these masks show no evidence of age or use and were probably made to be sold.  Mask 136 has been vetted as old, but was cleaned.

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.