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• Auction House:
  Theodore Bruce
• Sale Name:
  Timed Online Auction | The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic African & Asian Art
• Sale Date:
  05 Dec 2022 ~ 6pm (AEDT)
• Lot #:
  9014
• Lot Description:
  A Superb Collection of Ten Antique Dan Passport Masks, Liberia and Côte d' Ivory Africa
  this fine Collection of Miniature Dan Masks were collected over 40 years, I kept buying the best examples choosing them according to the forms of the mask & the genuine old patina.
  H 8 - 11 cm
• Provenance:
  The Todd Barlin Collection of African Miniature Sculptures
• Notes:
  According to Fischer, Eberhard and Himmelheber, Hans in book: The Arts of the Dan in West Africa. "Most Dan face masks genre, and those of the culturally related groups of Côte d'Ivoire and Liberia, are commonly executed in a miniature form, ranging in height between 6 and 20 centimeters. Even the largest miniatures are too small to be worn in front of the face, and they rarely exhibit any means by which they may be attached to anything. The most common mask type represented in such diminutive form is Deangle (attractive mask with slit eyes, performs a feminine behaviour). Miniature masks bear many names: the most common is ma go (small head) Echoing the variety of names, they fulfill a variety of functions. Anyone who has a spiritual connection with a mask, or whose family owns an important mask, is entitled to commission a miniature. Rubbed with oil and food, they are wrapped up and kept on the owner's body or among his possessions and function as portable and personal forms that share the power and protective force of the full-sized mask. Miniature masks are carved to embody tutelary spirits and serve as testimony to the presence of the spirit associated with a large masquerade. When a mask-owner is travelling, the miniature mask serves as an important means of identification outside his immediate community. This role that may have given it the commonly applied name of "passport mask." Diviners can advise individuals to commission a miniature mask for preventative, protective, or curative purposes.
• Estimate:
  A$2,000 - 3,000
• Realised Price:
  $0.00
• Category:
  Tribal

This Sale has been held and this item is no longer available. Details are provided for information purposes only.