Passport Mask
Dan, Liberia, early 20th C.
PROVENANCE: Collected by Dr. George Harley prior to 1943, and bought from him at his mission station in Ghanta, Liberia, by Esther Warner Dendel in 1943, then by descent to her husband, Jo Dendel.

Personalized masks, such as this passport mask, would have been carried with its owner or kept on personal shrines in the home. They express identity within society. Some of these mask can appear quite abstract, however this particular one is very portrait like. The hairstyle is visibly intricate, and the facial features are clearly delineated. Passport mask could also suggest a person's rank within society, which can be determined partly by the level of skill involved in the mask's carving.

Height: 2.70 in.
IN 10-11-13 / SOLD