Small West or Central African wooden face mask, probably Dan/Kran-influenced.

Description

View Small West or Central African wooden face mask, probably Dan/Kran-influenced. with current marketplace pricing, condition, product images and item details. This small, hand-carved wooden face mask with an attached plant-fiber or raffia coiffure was made in a style influenced by theDan, Kran, or neighboring Wè artistic traditions of Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire. This small, hand-carved wooden face mask with an attached plant-fiber or raffia coiffure was made in a style influenced by the  Dan, Kran, or neighboring Wè artistic traditions of Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire . Dan-related masks are particularly associated with communities spanning Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia, where masks traditionally embodied forest spirits and served social, political, protective, and ceremonial roles.  Material:  Hand-carved lightweight wood, darkened with black or dark-brown pigment. Dimensions:  Approximately 9 × 5 × 1 inches. Eyes:  Narrow horizontal openings beneath gently raised brows. Nose:  Long, straight, and strongly projecting. Mouth:  An oval, projecting mouth with several rectangular openings or teeth. Decoration:  Repeated triangular or chevron-like designs appear across the upper forehead and along the sides. These could represent decorative scarification, lineage markings, or simply a regional design vocabulary. Hair or headdress:  A dense fringe of twisted plant fiber, probably raffia or a similar material, remains attached along the upper edge. Attachment holes:  The reverse shows numerous regularly spaced holes around the perimeter. These were probably used to fasten fiber, cloth, or another backing to the carving. Construction:  The reverse is shallow rather than deeply hollowed to fit a human face. At only about one inch deep, it was probably not worn directly over the face in its present form. The shallow back suggests several possibilities: It may have been attached to a larger fiber costume or headdress. It may be a reduced-scale representation of a ceremonial mask. It may have been produced specifically for the African art market. The perimeter holes and old fiber make the first possibility plausible. Condition: Used. Category: Collectibles › Cultures & Ethnicities › African › 1900-Now › Masks.

Provenance

Ownership History Not Available

Culture

African

Handmade

Yes

Country of Origin

Côte d'Ivoire