Dan — Côte d'Ivoire
Early 20th century
Wood
Height: 2½ to 4½ in (6.4 to 11.4 cm)
Provenance: Constance McCormick Fearing, Santa Barbara, CA, before 1960
These miniature masks belong to the Dan tradition known as ma go, or "small head," portable forms connected to the power, identity, and protective presence of a larger masquerade. Too small to be worn over the face, they were carried among personal possessions, attached to other objects, or used in personal, protective, divinatory, or oath-related contexts depending on the owner — and could serve to identify a person when traveling outside the immediate community. The varied surfaces reflect handling, oiling, and long use over time.
The group was in the collection of Constance McCormick Fearing, Santa Barbara, before 1960, a provenance that places the pieces within the pre-1960 collecting period now recognized as significant for establishing early Western ownership of African works.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Dan — Côte d'Ivoire
Early 20th century
Wood
Height: 2½ to 4½ in (6.4 to 11.4 cm)
Provenance: Constance McCormick Fearing, Santa Barbara, CA, before 1960
These miniature masks belong to the Dan tradition known as ma go, or "small head," portable forms connected to the power, identity, and protective presence of a larger masquerade. Too small to be worn over the face, they were carried among personal possessions, attached to other objects, or used in personal, protective, divinatory, or oath-related contexts depending on the owner — and could serve to identify a person when traveling outside the immediate community. The varied surfaces reflect handling, oiling, and long use over time.
The group was in the collection of Constance McCormick Fearing, Santa Barbara, before 1960, a provenance that places the pieces within the pre-1960 collecting period now recognized as significant for establishing early Western ownership of African works.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
