Côte d'Ivoire, Dan
Mask "deangle"

wood, metal, base

These masks, with their slit eyes portray a gentle, peaceful type of spirit who makes men joyful when it appears.

When the "deangle" masks are used in the boy?s circumcision camp "mbon" located in a sacred forest grove, their function is to instruct boys in adult male responsibilities, social roles, and proper behavior.

They act as intermediaries between the circumcision camp and the village and are above all responsible for procuring sufficient food for the initiates.
H: 26 cm, H: 10,2 inch

Provenance:
Hans Himmelheber, Heidelberg, Germany
Merton Simpson, New York, USA
Swiss Private Collection
Zemanek-Münster, Würzburg, 23. Februar 2002, Lot 200
Jean-Hugues Rinck, Haguenau, France

Lit.: Fischer, Eberhard & Hans Himmelheber, The Arts of the Dan in West Africa, Zurich 1984, p. 11 ff.
Continent: Africa