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拍品專文
The richness and stylistic complexity that define this region - and which pose a considerable challenge to any classificatory endeavor - become strikingly evident when one focuses on a specific variation within the Northern Dan style: the masks endemic to the Bafing region, distinguished by the presence of a bird’s beak. These masks belonging to the Bafing substyle combine the fundamental characteristics of the central Dan style with a decidedly 'constructivist' inclination or, viewed from another perspective, a 'Picassian' sensibility. Additional distinctive features include the ornamental application of metal and the adornment of the beak with a beard-like covering. The incorporation of the bird’s beak onto the human features appears to be inspired by the influences of the Kono, the Kpelle, and other groups within the Mandé family inhabiting Liberia and Guinea.
While the majority of scholars specializing in the Dan people generally acknowledge that there is typically no systematic correlation between the form and function of masks, the Dan masks of the Bafing substyle constitute a notable exception to this rule, as they all fulfill the same specific role: that of 'firewatcher' or 'messenger', known by the name Sagbwe. As 'firewatchers', their principal duty was to protect the village from conflagrations during the dry season when the formidable desert wind blew. Occupying a high rank within the hierarchy of messenger-guardians of the villages, the mask presented here, with a wonderful, deep patina, was known by the evocative sobriquet 'King of Birds'.
For comparable examples, one may refer to the mask preserved at the Buffalo Museum of Science (inv. no. C13729), as well as those held by the Musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac (inv. no. 71.1971.112.2 & inv. no. 71.1930.92.2), the latter acquired prior to 1930, published by Delange and Leiris (J. Delange, & M. Leiris, Afrique Noire. La création plastique, Paris, 1967, no. 143, p. 139).
While the majority of scholars specializing in the Dan people generally acknowledge that there is typically no systematic correlation between the form and function of masks, the Dan masks of the Bafing substyle constitute a notable exception to this rule, as they all fulfill the same specific role: that of 'firewatcher' or 'messenger', known by the name Sagbwe. As 'firewatchers', their principal duty was to protect the village from conflagrations during the dry season when the formidable desert wind blew. Occupying a high rank within the hierarchy of messenger-guardians of the villages, the mask presented here, with a wonderful, deep patina, was known by the evocative sobriquet 'King of Birds'.
For comparable examples, one may refer to the mask preserved at the Buffalo Museum of Science (inv. no. C13729), as well as those held by the Musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac (inv. no. 71.1971.112.2 & inv. no. 71.1930.92.2), the latter acquired prior to 1930, published by Delange and Leiris (J. Delange, & M. Leiris, Afrique Noire. La création plastique, Paris, 1967, no. 143, p. 139).