Barakat Gallery
Login | Register | User Services | Search
HOME : African & Tribal Art : Dan Masks : Dan Kran Wooden Polychrome Kaogle Mask
Click to view original image.
Dan Kran Wooden Polychrome Kaogle Mask - PF.6031
Origin: Liberia
Circa: 20 th Century AD
Dimensions: 13" (33.0cm) high
Collection: African
Style: Kran
Medium: Wood

£8,600.00
Location: Great Britain
Purchase
Currency Converter
Place On Hold
Ask a Question
Email to a Friend
Previous Item
Next Item
Photo Gallery
Click photo to change image.
Print image
Click photo to change image.
Print image
Description
The Dan are a farming people who inhabit the hinterland of the western Ivory Coast and Liberia. They have a great number of masked figures that represent spirits of the bush, and fulfill a variety of social, political, and religious functions. Although eleven individual types of masks can be distinguished by formal criteria, the types cannot be associated with specific functions because the meaning of the masks changes over time.

Dan people have achieved notoriety in the area for their entertainment festivals which were historically village ceremonies, but are today performed largely for tourists. During these performances, masked performers dance on stilts. The Kaogle mask, created by the Kran subgroup, can be characterized by its arching cheekbones, triangular nose, and broad protruding forehead and mouth. This mask in particular is unusual for its rectangular eyes that project out of the lower plane of the mask. Such eyes are generally characteristic of the Gere tribe, neighbors of the Dan. Other features such as the interplay between void and mass, and the sharp truncation of the forehead recall the works of the nearby Bete tribe. Surely this mask reveals the artistic influence that each tribe had upon the other. Traditionally, the Kaogle masks were used to stimulate a festive mood among the audience before the main festival began. While this mask once entertained the masses of anxious villagers, today it astounds us with its remarkable beauty. - (PF.6031)

 

Home About Us Help Contact Us Services Publications Search
Terms and Conditions Privacy Policy Security

Copyright (c) 2000-2013 by Barakat, Inc. All Rights Reserved

contact-form@barakatgallery.com - TEL 310.859.8408 - FAX 310.276.1346

coldfusion hosting