GJPaw Auctions is pleased to offer a stunning carved wood Passport Mask from the Dan People, Liberia, West Africa. Ritual and ceremonial masks are an indispensable feature of the traditional culture and art of the peoples of West Africa, and can be traced back to at least Paleolithic times. While the specific implications associated to ritual masks widely vary in different cultures, some traits are common to most African tribes, such as ancestor worship and initiation rites. The Dan people of Africa, who live in Liberia and the Ivory Coast, are governed largely by secret societies. The Leopard Society acts as a major regulator of Dan life, and initiates young men. Famous for their hand-carved masks, the Dan believe that spirits, known as "Du," live in the forests and manifest themselves to humans in masks and masquerades, instructing and sustaining the Dan in life. Passport masks are miniature copies of family masks which act as witnesses or "stepping stones" at secret society initiation ceremonies and are believed to offer protection (like amulets) when their owner is away from home; hence the term "passport" mask. This superb example measures 5 inches in width by 3 inches in depth by 11 inches in height (12.7 cm by 7.62 cm by 27.9 cm), and comes with a specially designed, hand-made, museum display stand. It is in very good condition and dates to the 20th century. A fabulous collector’s item, coming from an important Midwest collection of African art, it is guaranteed authentic and would make a fine addition to any collection of African art.

GJPaw Auctions has been in the Art business for over 25 years and is now expanding its operation to eBay.  Our goal is to bring the same experience and excitement of collecting that we have been delivering in-person to collectors across the globe at Primitive in Chicago.  Every object we sell online has been carefully hand-selected with special attention to detail, quality, and significance. We ship worldwide. AddGJPaw to Sellers you Follow and please take a moment to look at our other auction items.

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