African Arts Gallery

This African Dan mask named Déanglé, whose center of the face is concave, offers fine features. The projection of the lips animates the face. An elaborately braided hairstyle trims the contours. Smooth, satiny black patina.
The Dan masks, of varied craftsmanship, generally occur during very theatrical entertainment parties where women play a preponderant role. The so-called "mocking" mask called Déanglé defines an ideal of beauty and benevolence because it is sculpted in honor of the young girls of the village or famous men. Also used during circumcision rites, they appear in the company of the gle sö singing masks and the large go ge masks relating to the go society, who administers justice and maintains peace. In general, dan masks also have the particularity of not being representations of bush spirits but of actually being their incarnation. The Dan live in western Côte d'Ivoire, but also in Liberia. Also called Yacouba, they have a powerful initiatory society, that of the Leopard.