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Die schönsten Objekte – präsentiert von {name}

Julien Gauthier

A Dan Guerre statue, collected in Danane region, Ivory Coast, with beaded necklace and waist beads. Dark wood; partly glossy touch patina.

Dan-Guere sculptures, produced by the Dan and Guere peoples of western Côte d’Ivoire and neighboring Liberia, are central to spiritual, political, and aesthetic life in the region. The Dan and Guere, though distinct groups, share overlapping artistic traditions and masking systems that reflect similar beliefs about the relationship between the visible world and the spirit realm. Among their most renowned cultural forms are wooden masks and anthropomorphic sculptures that serve both sacred and social purposes.

Dan and Guere masks are often made of dark hardwoods, their surfaces smoothed and darkened with patina from repeated handling, oiling, and ritual use. The masks frequently exhibit high foreheads, deep-set or tubular eyes, sharply defined noses, and small or open mouths, sometimes with visible teeth. Guere masks in particular are known for their aggressive, composite designs: they may include attachments such as horns, tusks, metal studs, feathers, cowrie shells, mirrors, or plant fibers. These masks can appear chaotic or asymmetrical, especially compared to the more restrained and symmetrical Dan masks. Such formal choices are not merely decorative—they express the spiritual intensity and force embodied by the mask.

Both Dan and Guere cultures understand these masks as physical embodiments of spiritual entities. In Dan cosmology, masks represent gle, invisible forest spirits that communicate through dreams and vision. When a gle selects a person—usually a man through dreams—it demands to be brought into the world through carving and performance. The resulting mask becomes a medium through which the gle can appear and act in society. The same applies, with variation, in Guere beliefs, where masks also function as spirit manifestations and protectors. Some masks are used in entertainment dances, others in conflict mediation, initiation rites, or funerals. Certain powerful Guere masks, especially those associated with war or protection, are kept hidden between performances and may be dangerous to behold outside their proper ritual context.

Dan and Guere communities also produce wooden sculptures, often depicting idealized human figures. Among the Dan, a common form is the female figure called lu me, meaning “wooden person.” These sculptures are created by male patrons, often to honor a wife or to express admiration for a woman’s beauty, moral character, or fertility. The figures are not portraits but idealizations, with smooth rounded forms, carefully carved facial features, and symmetrical proportions. They might be displayed during community events or rituals but are otherwise stored privately and treated with respect, sometimes receiving offerings. While more rare, Guere also carve figures, which may be used for ancestor veneration or healing rituals.

Ownership and use of masks and sculptures are governed by age-grade societies and ritual associations. Not all individuals have access to these objects, and their power depends on careful handling, secrecy, and proper performance. Some masks, particularly among the Guere, are layered with sacrificial substances—blood, kola nut paste, palm oil—and are thought to gain strength with age and ritual feeding. The role of the artist is crucial but not always celebrated individually; many carvers remain anonymous, though some, like the Dan master carver Zlan of Belewale, are remembered for their skill and spiritual insight. The act of carving, like mask performance itself, is often viewed as a spiritually charged process that requires the sanction or prompting of the spirit world.

These sculptural traditions are not static. Over time, with colonial incursions, missionary activity, and the rise of global art markets, many masks and sculptures were removed from their ritual context and entered museum and private collections. While this shift altered their function, the power and aesthetic integrity of these works remain evident. In both their original use and their later display, Dan and Guere sculptures reflect a sophisticated understanding of how material form can embody unseen forces, social ideals, and cultural memory.

References:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, “Face Mask (Deangle), Dan Peoples”,
Susan M. Vogel, African Art, Western Eyes, Yale University Press, 1997
Eberhard Fischer and Hans Himmelheber, The Arts of the Dan in West Africa, Museum Rietberg Zürich, 1984
Elisabeth Cameron, Isn't S/He a Doll?: Play and Ritual in African Sculpture, UCLA Fowler Museum, 1996

Holz - Angemessener Zustand

Eine Holzskulptur - Dan - Elfenbeinküste  (Ohne Mindestpreis)

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Afrikanische Kunst und Stammeskunst

Dieses Objekt ist leider nicht mehr verfügbar, aber es gibt noch viel zu entdecken

Eine Holzskulptur - Dan - Elfenbeinküste (Ohne Mindestpreis)

Beliebt in Afrikanische Kunst und Stammeskunst

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