- 40
Masque, Dan, Côte d'Ivoire
Estimate
60,000 - 90,000 EUR
bidding is closed
Description
- Masque, Dan
- Wood and Western Red Colobus
- hauteur du masque en bois 23 cm, profondeur avec la coiffe 41 cm
- 9 in, 16 in
Provenance
Collection Max Rouayroux, Nice
Tajan, Drouot, Paris, 6 décembre 1995, n°42
Collection privée, acquis lors de cette vente
Tajan, Drouot, Paris, 6 décembre 1995, n°42
Collection privée, acquis lors de cette vente
Literature
Cannes, Musée de la Castres, La Rencontre du Ciel et de la Terre, 1990, n°30
Condition
Please contact department for condition report
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
Magnifié par l'imposante allure de sa coiffe, ce masque Dan s'inscrit parmi les plus anciens et émouvants témoignages d'une tradition sculpturale dite "classique", exaltant sous des traits naturalistes, une beauté idéalisée.
Le haut front bombé, l'équilibre des traits délicatement modelés et la parfaite incurvation de la face le rattachent au style septentrional du pays Dan. À la sensibilité de la sculpture s'ajoutent ici l'extrême finesse de la paroi et l'empreinte du temps sur les nuances de la patine profonde, signes de sa très grande ancienneté.
Le musée Barbier-Mueller (Genève) possède un masque très comparable, ayant également conservé son ancienne coiffure – fort rare dans les collections occidentales (Barbier, 1993, t. II, p. 60, inv. n° 1003-14). Marie-Noëlle Verger-Fèvre souligne à son sujet le fait que si les visages aux orbites rondes et ajourées identifient généralement les masques de course gunyegè et les masques de feu zapkei, « l'élaboration de la perruque en fibres pourrait indiquer un personnage beaucoup plus important, le "masque du roi", le go ge. Il apparait parfois en pays Dan auprès des chefs des groupes lignagers. C'est un grand masque qui ne quitte la case sacrée que pour annoncer la mort du "roi" ou pour d'autres raisons graves. [...] Certains portent des perruques de fibres très élaborées, semblables à celles des anciens guerriers » (in Barbier, idem). Ces grands et rares masques se distinguent également par le port d'un "loup" de tissu rouge, dont la patine de notre masque conserve la trace.
Dan mask, Ivory Coast
Magnified by the imposing appearance of its coiffure, this Dan mask is amongst the oldest and most moving specimens of a 'classical' sculptural tradition which exalts, through naturalistic features, an idealized form of beauty.
The high domed forehead, the finely crafted features and the perfectly carved hollow of the interior indicate the style of the northern Dan country. The sensitivity expressed in the carving is compounded here by the great slenderness of the edges and the marks of time, visible in the nuances of the deep patina, which denote great antiquity.
The Barbier-Mueller Museum, Geneva, possesses a very similar mask, which has also retained its original, extremely ancient coiffure - a very rare feature in western collections. (Barbier, 1993, t. II, p. 60, inv. No. 1003-14). Writing about this mask, Marie-Noëlle Verger-Fèvre points out that although the round, latticed eye sockets generally denote gunyegè racing masks and zapkei fire masks, the intricacy of the fibre postiche may well point to a much higher ranking figure - the "mask of the king" or go ge. It sometimes appears, in Dan country, alongside the leaders of lineage groups. It is a large mask that leaves the sacred dwelling only to announce the death of the 'king', or for other such serious matters. [...] Some are adorned with very intricate fibre postiches that mimic those of ancient warriors" (in Barbier, ibid.). These large and rare masks also stand out for their red cloth mask, the mark of which can still be seen on the offered example.
Le haut front bombé, l'équilibre des traits délicatement modelés et la parfaite incurvation de la face le rattachent au style septentrional du pays Dan. À la sensibilité de la sculpture s'ajoutent ici l'extrême finesse de la paroi et l'empreinte du temps sur les nuances de la patine profonde, signes de sa très grande ancienneté.
Le musée Barbier-Mueller (Genève) possède un masque très comparable, ayant également conservé son ancienne coiffure – fort rare dans les collections occidentales (Barbier, 1993, t. II, p. 60, inv. n° 1003-14). Marie-Noëlle Verger-Fèvre souligne à son sujet le fait que si les visages aux orbites rondes et ajourées identifient généralement les masques de course gunyegè et les masques de feu zapkei, « l'élaboration de la perruque en fibres pourrait indiquer un personnage beaucoup plus important, le "masque du roi", le go ge. Il apparait parfois en pays Dan auprès des chefs des groupes lignagers. C'est un grand masque qui ne quitte la case sacrée que pour annoncer la mort du "roi" ou pour d'autres raisons graves. [...] Certains portent des perruques de fibres très élaborées, semblables à celles des anciens guerriers » (in Barbier, idem). Ces grands et rares masques se distinguent également par le port d'un "loup" de tissu rouge, dont la patine de notre masque conserve la trace.
Dan mask, Ivory Coast
Magnified by the imposing appearance of its coiffure, this Dan mask is amongst the oldest and most moving specimens of a 'classical' sculptural tradition which exalts, through naturalistic features, an idealized form of beauty.
The high domed forehead, the finely crafted features and the perfectly carved hollow of the interior indicate the style of the northern Dan country. The sensitivity expressed in the carving is compounded here by the great slenderness of the edges and the marks of time, visible in the nuances of the deep patina, which denote great antiquity.
The Barbier-Mueller Museum, Geneva, possesses a very similar mask, which has also retained its original, extremely ancient coiffure - a very rare feature in western collections. (Barbier, 1993, t. II, p. 60, inv. No. 1003-14). Writing about this mask, Marie-Noëlle Verger-Fèvre points out that although the round, latticed eye sockets generally denote gunyegè racing masks and zapkei fire masks, the intricacy of the fibre postiche may well point to a much higher ranking figure - the "mask of the king" or go ge. It sometimes appears, in Dan country, alongside the leaders of lineage groups. It is a large mask that leaves the sacred dwelling only to announce the death of the 'king', or for other such serious matters. [...] Some are adorned with very intricate fibre postiches that mimic those of ancient warriors" (in Barbier, ibid.). These large and rare masks also stand out for their red cloth mask, the mark of which can still be seen on the offered example.