Dan mask, Ivory Coast Wood, metal, red pigments, bone Dimensions: 22 x 12 x 7 cm Provenance: Spanish private collection Spanish private collection Classical Dan mask, whose modeling is enlivened by a subtle alternation of concave and convex forms, between the frontal and lower parts of the face. The intensity of the gaze is accentuated by the rounded forehead, the absence of a superciliary arch and large circular cavities. The softness and roundness of the upper face is contrasted with the rigor of the lower lines, giving the mask a serious austerity, a quasi-fierceness conveyed by the open mouth, whose upper lip, projected forward, reveals a series of teeth, and the luscious lower lip magnified by red pigments. Racing masks were awarded to the best-dressed, fastest and most enduring young man. They symbolize his strength and the protective role he must play for the community. Brown patina, with lighter residues and rubbing. Missing right forehead.