Dan — Côte d'Ivoire
Circa 1920
Wood
Height: 7¾ in (19.7 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Netherlands
This mask is carved with a smooth oval face, circular pierced eyes, accentuated cheekbones, and protruding lips with an open mouth — facial features that reflect Dan ideals of female beauty as expressed in the zakpai mask tradition. A row of piercing holes runs along the edge for the attachment of fiber and costume elements worn in performance. The deep black glossy surface carries reddish-brown wood visible at worn areas, consistent with age, repeated oiling, and active ceremonial use.
Among the Dan of Côte d'Ivoire, zakpai masks are associated with entertainment performances and with the embodiment of idealized feminine presence, where refinement of facial form and surface quality were understood as central to the mask's effectiveness. The smooth, unadorned face and controlled formal language of this example are characteristic of the type at its most resolved.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Dan — Côte d'Ivoire
Circa 1920
Wood
Height: 7¾ in (19.7 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Netherlands
This mask is carved with a smooth oval face, circular pierced eyes, accentuated cheekbones, and protruding lips with an open mouth — facial features that reflect Dan ideals of female beauty as expressed in the zakpai mask tradition. A row of piercing holes runs along the edge for the attachment of fiber and costume elements worn in performance. The deep black glossy surface carries reddish-brown wood visible at worn areas, consistent with age, repeated oiling, and active ceremonial use.
Among the Dan of Côte d'Ivoire, zakpai masks are associated with entertainment performances and with the embodiment of idealized feminine presence, where refinement of facial form and surface quality were understood as central to the mask's effectiveness. The smooth, unadorned face and controlled formal language of this example are characteristic of the type at its most resolved.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
