Mask - Dan - Côte d'Ivoire

Masque Dan-Yacouba – Côte d’Ivoire, Man–Biankouma region

A manifest work, reserved for major collections

Private collection, Switzerland, information provided with the document to the buyer.

This Dan-Yacouba mask unquestionably stands at the pinnacle of West African sculpture production. With striking elegance, it blends formal refinement, expressive intensity, and an aged patina of a deep brown-black velour, revealing authentic and prolonged ritual use. The face, perfectly balanced, is characterized by full, controlled volumes: smooth, ample forehead; almond-felled, almost closed eyes; straight, powerfully structuring nose; full lips slightly protruding, giving the whole a presence that is both serene and inhabited.

The hairstyle of braided plant fibers, dense and abundant, enhances the figure’s nobility and fully situates the object within the great Dan ceremonial corpus. These masks were used during initiation rites, social regulation, and public manifestations where they embodied active spiritual forces, guardians of order and community balance. The exceptional quality of the sculpture, the harmony of proportions, and the emotional force it exudes place this piece among true masterworks of Dan art, comparable to specimens kept in the world’s premier museum and private collections. A mask of this scale is today extremely rare on the market and constitutes an acquisition of absolute prestige for any discerning collector.

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Based in Belgium, our expert and sales house specializes in African and ethnographic art. A leading seller on Catawiki for over 8 years, we enjoy a solid reputation and a history of several hundred sales with a nearly 100% satisfaction rate.

We regularly assist with liquidations, successions, and dispersals of collections, in collaboration with private individuals and families in Belgium and neighboring countries. Our approach is rigorous, transparent, and accessible, with sales often offered without reserve prices.

Some pieces that have passed through our hands have joined international private collections and, for some, museum institutions.

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