Dan, Liberia or Côte d'Ivoire
1920s
Wood and pigment
Height 8¾ in. (22.2 cm)
Provenance: Constance McCormick Fearing Collection, Santa Barbara, acquired in the 1960s; thence by descent
This mask is carved with a smooth oval face, round eye openings, arched brows, narrow nose, and downturned mouth, with the restrained facial structure and balanced proportions reflecting the refined sculptural language associated with Dan mask traditions of Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire. The dark polished surface carries softened edges and a deep patina consistent with repeated handling and performance use over an extended period. Dan masks functioned within performance contexts where form, presence, and movement carried social and spiritual meaning, and the quiet authority of this example is well suited to that role.
The piece was acquired by Constance McCormick Fearing in Santa Barbara in the 1960s and retained by descent, a provenance that places it within one of the more significant American private collections of African art assembled during that period. The McCormick Fearing collection represents a sustained and knowledgeable engagement with African material at a time when serious American collecting of this kind was concentrated among a small group of informed individuals. Dan masks with documented 1960s American collection provenance and descent history are seldom encountered at this level of surface quality.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Dan, Liberia or Côte d'Ivoire
1920s
Wood and pigment
Height 8¾ in. (22.2 cm)
Provenance: Constance McCormick Fearing Collection, Santa Barbara, acquired in the 1960s; thence by descent
This mask is carved with a smooth oval face, round eye openings, arched brows, narrow nose, and downturned mouth, with the restrained facial structure and balanced proportions reflecting the refined sculptural language associated with Dan mask traditions of Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire. The dark polished surface carries softened edges and a deep patina consistent with repeated handling and performance use over an extended period. Dan masks functioned within performance contexts where form, presence, and movement carried social and spiritual meaning, and the quiet authority of this example is well suited to that role.
The piece was acquired by Constance McCormick Fearing in Santa Barbara in the 1960s and retained by descent, a provenance that places it within one of the more significant American private collections of African art assembled during that period. The McCormick Fearing collection represents a sustained and knowledgeable engagement with African material at a time when serious American collecting of this kind was concentrated among a small group of informed individuals. Dan masks with documented 1960s American collection provenance and descent history are seldom encountered at this level of surface quality.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
