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 This mask is a beautiful mask from western Africa. The style of this mask is in the classic form of a Dan mask from the Ivory Coast, with its idealized human face and smooth, polished black surface. It has slit eyes and scarification patterns on the face. BUT the imbedded coins are from Nigeria, which are dated 1974. The accent on the black surface is done in gold paint. So the overall effect is very striking and decorative. The Congolese man who sold me this mask told me that it “was used by dancers who performed before the chief, to celebrate his wealth and power, and to call on the ancestor spirits to protect him. Then the rest of the year the masks are placed on the three walls surrounding the chief’s official chair, to show and remind those who come before him that this chief is powerful.” Whether this is truth or tale, I do not know. But I do know that these masks are beautiful and classic in style.
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