Dan Gle Mask with Cowrie Crown

Item Information Sheet

Title / Mask Name: Dan Gle Mask with Cowrie Crown

Ethnic Group: Dan (Gio/Yakuba)

Country of Origin: Cote d'Ivoire / Liberia

About This Piece:

A richly adorned Dan Gle mask of elevated ceremonial rank from the Dan people of the Cote d'Ivoire and Liberia border region. The mask features slit eyes with an asymmetric, watchful intensity, an open mouth indicating a speaking or singing function, and a mottled kaolin and ochre surface patina developed through ritual use. A horseshoe cowrie shell crown sits atop a fabric-padded base with braided raffia edging and red cloth patches — a marker of high spiritual and social status. A raffia fringe beard frames the lower face, and a distinctive spherical chin protrusion anchors the composition. Among the Dan, the density of cowrie adornment signals the ceremonial authority of the spirit embodied — this mask would have appeared at significant communal events demanding the presence of a powerful Gle.

Dimensions & Weight:

Height: 37.5 cm / 14.8 in

Width: 28.5 cm / 11.2 in

Depth: 8 cm / 3.1 in

Weight: 1.20 kg / 2.65 lbs

(Tip: 1 inch = 2.54 cm; 1 lb = 0.453592 kg)

Provenance:

Collected From: Art dealer, Accra, Ghana

Notes:

Offered in as-found condition. Surface wear, patination, and aging are inherent to authentic artifacts and reflect the object's history, not defects.