Dan Mask, Ivory Coast or Liberia

Reportedly Dr. Charles Stéphen-Chauvet, Paris (also known as Stephen Chauvet or Stéphen-Charles Chauvet)
Lance and Roberta Entwistle, London
Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Hollander, St. Louis
Sotheby's, New York, November 19, 1999, lot 86, consigned by the above
Myron Kunin, Minneapolis, acquired at the above auction

Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, Masks from the West African Dan People, June 12 - November 28, 2010

Lance and Roberta Entwistle (adv.), African Arts, Vol. XIV, No. 3, May 1981, back cover
Warren M. Robbins and Nancy I. Nooter, African Art in American Collections. Survey 1989, Washington and London, 1989, p. 169, fig. 331

Good condition for an object of this rare type and great age. Erosion and losses to bottom edge, around a series of holes for insertions and attachments, some of which have remains of wood pegs, fibers, and earthen encrustation. Surface erosion in crevices. Marks, nicks, scratches, abrasions, wear, small cracks, chips and losses consistent with age and use. Surface varnished. Holes in lips for attachments, now lacking. Exceptionally fine medium brown patina.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The deep, bold features of this old and extraordinarily refined mask are the work of a confident and ingenious master sculptor.  The sensitive expression, with furrowed brow and doleful, heavy-lidded eyes, is accomplished with faceted geometric planes, fusing the naturalistic beauty of classic Dan sculpture with an inventively cubistic style.  The deep, glossy patina, the erosion on the reverse and outer edge, and the multiplicity of attachment holes suggest that this mask was highly prized and preserved in situ for a long period of ritual use prior to its arrival in the West.

The present mask was reportedly owned by the French medical doctor Charles Stéphen-Chauvet (born Stéphen-Charles Chauvet and sometimes referred to as Stephen Chauvet; see Altman 2004), an important early scholar and promoter of arts from primary cultures.  Stéphen-Chauvet was the author of Les arts indigènes des colonies françaises of 1924, and most famously L'Île de Pâques et ses mystères, published in 1935, which was the first comprehensive study of Easter Island art.