A Dan Bassa statue, Biankouma region, Ivory Coast. This carved wooden sculpture is a female anthropomorphic figurine from the Dan Bassa people. It features a monumental hairstyle and adornments on a headdress with incised braids; the head is topped by a complex hairstyle consisting of a high bun or a crest at the top, flanked by voluminous side braids entirely engraved with geometric patterns of herringbone and parallel lines. Two genuine white cowrie shells are attached to the front of the headdress, hanging down over the top of the rounded forehead. The long, cylindrical, ringed neck is encircled by an original red textile cord, from which hangs a small bell- or amulet-shaped pendant on the chest. The face is highly stylized and projected forward. The nose forms a long, straight ridge, aligned with raised eyebrows. The eyes are represented by fine horizontal incisions, and the full mouth reveals lips highlighted with whitish and red pigments. The torso features two long, conical, pointed breasts, projecting forward and decorated on their upper portions with scarifications in horizontal bands. The arms hang down along the torso without touching the body. The forearms and wrists are adorned with thick, geometric bracelets in relief, engraved with lattice or twisted patterns. The navel is marked by a prominent circular protrusion (keloid), surrounded by semicircular friezes incised on the lower abdomen. The hips are encircled by a cord or ritual belt made of natural fibers. The short, sturdy legs, bent at the knees (marked by incised rings), end in very broad, flat feet with geometric toes, ensuring perfect vertical stability. Dark, lustrous wood carved from a single piece of hard monoxyl. It features a superb deep, dark patina, almost black. The surface is smooth and satiny on the areas exposed to handling (the arms, breasts, and forehead), while retaining a more matte appearance in the recesses of the carvings. The Dan-Bassa statue refers to a sculptural form associated with the Dan people and their Bassa neighbors, both of whom inhabit parts of present-day Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire. While more widely known for their masks, which are central to initiation and performance traditions, the Dan and Bassa also produce anthropomorphic wooden figures used in divination, protection, and personal devotion. These statues are relatively rare and often misunderstood in comparison to the more public and performative art forms of the region. A Dan-Bassa statue typically takes the form of a small to medium-sized wooden figure, carved with a high degree of refinement and attention to surface treatment. The figures often present an idealized human body in a frontal, symmetrical pose, with elongated limbs, a narrow torso, and a head slightly oversized in proportion to the rest of the body. The facial features may include almond-shaped eyes, a pointed chin, and a delicate mouth, sometimes suggesting a calm or introspective expression. Scarification marks, hairstyles, and body proportions vary depending on the local workshop or lineage tradition, but the overall emphasis is on harmony and poise. These statues are generally understood to serve spiritual or protective purposes. These statues are generally understood to serve spiritual or protective purposes. Among the Dan, they may be used as deangle or buangle figures—personal or family-owned objects believed to house spirits or ancestors. Such figures are kept in private shrines or hidden enclosures and are occasionally consulted during times of illness, social tension, or decision-making. Sacrifices or offerings may be made to them, and their surfaces often bear traces of oil, blood, or pigment as evidence of ritual engagement. In some cases, these figures are connected to zu, the spirit forces that communicate through diviners and masks. A statue may embody the presence of a zu or serve as its temporary dwelling. Among the Bassa, similar figures may also function in conjunction with tano, guardian spirits associated with rivers, forests, or family lineage. Though iconographically similar, the precise meaning of each statue is context-dependent and often known only to the owner or ritual specialist. In museum collections and catalogues, Dan-Bassa statues are usually classified under personal or ancestral figures, protective sculptures, or ritual art. They are often attributed jointly to both groups due to overlapping styles and the movement of carvers and forms across ethnic boundaries. These works are appreciated for their quiet intensity, elegant proportion, and the nuanced carving that contrasts with the more dramatic and overt visual language of Dan masquerades. Scholarly treatment of Dan and Bassa sculpture has tended to focus on mask performance and social organization, but recent scholarship has begun to reevaluate the significance of figural sculpture in private and domestic ritual life. References: Eberhard Fischer and Hans Himmelheber, The Arts of the Dan in West Africa (Museum Rietberg, 1984) Susan M. Vogel, Baule: African Art, Western Eyes (Yale University Press, 1997) Frederick Lamp, See the Music, Hear the Dance: Rethinking African Art at the Baltimore Museum of Art (Baltimore Museum of Art, 2004). Literature (Selection) Eberhard Fischer, Dan: People and Masks in the Ivory Coast, Zurich 1976. Daniel B. Reed, Dan Ge Performance: Masks and Music in Contemporary Ivory Coast, Bloomington 2003. Anita J. Glaze, Art and Death in a Senufo Village, Bloomington 1981. Herbert M. Cole, Icons: Ideals and Power in the Art of Africa, Washington D.C. 1989. Susan M. Vogel, Africa Explores: 20th Century African Art, New York 1991. Jacques Kerchache, Jean-Louis Paudrat, and Lucien Stéphan, African Art, Paris 1988. Some of the information is generated by artificial intelligence and is based on published sources from the fields of ethnography, archaeology, and art history. Informant: Bakari M*A*Z*1*6*8*5*4* The seller guarantees and can prove that the object was obtained legally. The seller was informed by Catawiki that they had to provide the documentation required by the laws and regulations in their country of residence. The seller guarantees and is entitled to sell/export this object. The seller will provide all provenance information known about the object to the buyer. The seller ensures that any necessary permits are/will be arranged. The seller will inform the buyer immediately about any delays in obtaining such permits.