A PASSPORT GAEGON BIRD MASK, COTE D'IVOIRE / LIBERIA, DAN PEOPLE

Wood with painted metal, black ape hair
Cote d'Ivoire / Liberia, Dan people, 1st half of 20th century

This mask type with a long, carved beak, known as gaegon, represents a stylized rhino bird. Dancers using gaegon masks also wear a full-body costume made from fabric and plant fiber as well as a helmet-like cap with feathers and cowrie shell onsets. The gaegon mask is worn to entertain the village but can also have a guardian function during initiation ceremonies.

Dan mask dancers were allowed to carry with them a miniature of the mask they would usually wear while performing, for their personal safety or as a kind of passport during travels.

This piece is carved from hard wood and is colored black in some areas on the front. A beard of black ape hair is attached to the underside of the beak. The small, almond-shaped eyes show a black-colored overlay with metal. Holes on the sides for a string.

Dimensions: 25 cm (height excl. beard); 8.5 cm (width)
Condition: Very good condition with usual signs of age and wear
Provenance: From an Austrian private collection, purchased from an art dealer in Austria during the 1980s