Tribal Art

Among the most iconic African masks, this sculpture stood out among the eleven types of Dan masks (Fisher and Himmelheber) because of its circularly hollowed out eyes to allow for better vision. These masks named gunye ge "racing masks," with an oval face and slightly concave center, were produced among the northern Dan and intended for participation in racing events. As for the zapkei, they intervene to prevent the spread of domestic fires during the dry seasons. Armed with a stick, they threaten unwary women and confiscate an object as a fine. Some of these masks ,the go ge , provided with a particularly sophisticated braided headdress, were only exceptionally used .
Mask on base : 43 cm
Black patina with a satin touch, granular residual inlays at the top.
Mask of entertainment of the Dan cultivator populations of the north-west of the Ivory Coast known as Yacouba, it is also sometimes found as a messenger at the time of the circumcision of young boys. Some of the Dan masks, because of their proximity to the Wé of Liberia (called Kran), in addition to the contribution of the tribes of Guinea, have been marked by the influence of the latter. The functions of their different masks, eleven types according to Fisher (1978), may also have evolved over time. All Dan masks are sacred. They do not represent the spirits of the bush but are those spirits.