Dan Face Mask, Cote dIvoire, Liberia, Dark Patina Start Price USD 290.00 Current Price USD 290.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Friday, July 18, 2008 End Time Friday, July 25, 2008 Location Denver, CO See more about 'Dan Face Mask, Cote dIvoire, Liberia, Dark Patina' Description Dan-Yacuba Small Face mask (Zakpai ge) Type of Object: Mask Ethnic Group: Dan-Yacuba Country of Origin: Liberia, Cote d'IvoireMaterials: Wood, pigmentApproximate Age: 20th century Dimensions: 8 inches tall Overall Condition: Good Damage, Repair:  old repaired crack from the mouth to the chin, old incision close to right ear, chips to the front and chin.Additional Information: Small wooden face with dark patina.  This is most probably a mask known as ‘Zakpai ge’, an active and aggressive mask that serves a number of functions. It is a ‘firewatch’ mask that insures proper use of cooking fires by women and will throw sticks and things about and knock over cookpots with their meals into the fires and may even beat the women if they were careless in their use of fire. In the past it also served as a war mask. This mask was carved in a very thin wood and with a dynamic profile of the face. Circular holes replace the ears. Further Reading Harley, G.W., Notes on the Poro in Liberia, Papers of the Peabody Museum, Archaeology & Ethnology, XIX, No.2 (Cambridge, MA, 1941) Harley, G.W. Masks as Agents of Social Control in Northeast Liberia, Papers of the Peabody Museum, Archaeology & Ethnology, xxxii, No.2 (Cambridge, MA, 1950) E. Fischer and Hans Himmelhaber; The Arts of the Dan in West Africa, (Zurich, 1984) E. Fischer; “Dan Forest Spirits: Masks in Dan Villages”, African Arts, II, no. 2, 1978. pp. 16-23, 94**031599** All content, including pictures, Copyright Africa Direct Inc., 2006 Add Us To Your Favorite Sellers! Please visit our About Us page. SquareTrade © AP6.0 PesaMember Place a Bid!