Busacca Gallery

Dan Bronze Mask. Origin: Africa Circa: 1600 AD to 1850 AD Dimensions: 9" (22.9cm) high Collection: African Art Medium: Bronze. The Dan peoples of Liberia and the Ivory Coast stand out among their neighbours both socially and artistically. They arrived in their current location from their Sudanese homeland in around the 8th century AD, and created an economy that is notionally agricultural but which has a great deal of reliance upon the wild for both food and ritual procedures. The Dan lack true central authority, although efforts were made in the 19th century to unite them all under the “go” (leopard) society. They remain somewhat fragmented, yet tending to unite in battles with their neighbours – which include the Guro, We and Mano – who view them with a certain alarm, as they are notoriously fierce in martial contexts. This relative social flexibility has given rise to numerous secret societies, masquerade groups and social networks that are extremely hierarchical. Their belief structure is similarly complex, with a creator god named Zlan (who created the universe from clay), and a spiritual force called Du, which is in all things and is the intermediary between this world and the next. In addition, there are numerous spirits that are divided roughly into domestic (town and village) and wild (woods and country). Society is segmented accordingly to appease or control these spirits, and many of these functionaries have specific mask forms. Masks, which contain a spiritual force named “gle”, are also carved as good luck charms, as talismans, and as a means of assuring safe passage through enemy territory. As a result, Dan masks are among the most diverse and accomplished in Africa. The current example is unusual in being made of metal, and does not subscribe to any of the modern forms of Dan mask-making. A comparison between the Dan, their subgroups (Yacuba, Geh, Gio) and their neighbours (Mano, Wenion) shows the general pattern and proportions, including that of the eyes, but the horns, the lower face prognathism and the incised decoration of which there are traces on the forehead reflect the mask’s antiquity on a stylistic basis. The patina is encrusted, and the mask is in good condition. This is a rare and unusual item. *All of the art is edited and chosen by us for its high quality and workmanship before posting. These collectibles have been selected with the artist & collector in mind. We are committed to enhancing our customer’s lives by discovering creating, and pointing out only the best art we can find in the world today. We Are Taste-Makers, Art Advisers, Consultants & Publishers Of Spectacular Art Stories. Our job is to be intermediaries between buyers and sellers. We are vetting for high end art patrons. We are determined to catalog the world's most exceptional art and share it with everyone.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_art

African art is a term typically used for the art of Sub-Saharan Africa. Often, casual observers tend to generalize "traditional" African art, but the continent is full of people, societies and civilizations, each with a unique visual culture. The definition may also include the art of the African Diasporas, such as the art of African Americans. Despite this diversity, there are some unifying artistic themes when considering the totality of the visual culture from the continent of Africa.



The term African art does not usually include the art of the North African areas along the Mediterranean coast, as such areas had long been part of different traditions. For more than a millennium, the art of such areas had formed part of Islamic art, although with many particular characteristics. The Art of Ethiopia, with a long Christian tradition, is also different from that of most of Africa, where Traditional African religion (with Islam in the north) was dominant until relatively recently.