Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
A Dan face mask's use and the costume that accompanied it are important elements that contribute to the name it receives. While we don't know those details, we can say it originally had an elaborate fiber hairstyle attached through the holes around the edge. Based on its appearance and other similar examples, this face mask with a high forehead in northern Dan style may have been called either <em>sagbwe</em> or <em>gunyege</em>. As a "runner mask," it was engaged in running competitions once organized every Sunday during the dry season. As a "fire-watcher," its main task was to protect the village from fire when the dangerous desert wind called Harmattan blew during the dry season.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
146930
label
Face Mask
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
146930
contentType
object
title
Face Mask
description
A Dan face mask's use and the costume that accompanied it are important elements that contribute to the name it receives. While we don't know those details, we can say it originally had an elaborate fiber hairstyle attached through the holes around the edge. Based on its appearance and other similar examples, this face mask with a high forehead in northern Dan style may have been called either <em>sagbwe</em> or <em>gunyege</em>. As a "runner mask," it was engaged in running competitions once organized every Sunday during the dry season. As a "fire-watcher," its main task was to protect the village from fire when the dangerous desert wind called Harmattan blew during the dry season.
date
possibly early 1900s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Mask
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 22.9 cm (9 in.)
cul
Africa, West Africa, Côte d'Ivoire or Liberia, Dan-style maker
accession
1972.331
Source extras
tec
Wood, metal, leather, and organic materials
tombstone
Face Mask, possibly early 1900s. Africa, West Africa, Côte d'Ivoire or Liberia, Dan-style maker. Wood, metal, leather, and organic materials; overall: 22.9 cm (9 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Katherine C. White, 1972.331
collection
African Art
formerAccessionNumbers
682.68
didYouKnow
The eyes of this mask were altered from slits to circles; the original shape is most visible on the right eye.
citations
citation
Fagg, William, and Cleveland Museum of Art. 1968. <em>African Tribal Images; the Katherine White Reswick Collection</em>. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, no. 55.
citation
Smith, Fred T., Judith Perani, Joseph L. Underwood, and Martha J. Ehrlich. The Visual Arts of Africa : Gender, Power, and Life Cycle Rituals. Second edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 2022.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: pp. 100-101, no. 4.12
creditline
Gift of Katherine C. White
updatedAt
2026-05-29 07:31:41.148000
sourceId
146930
dept
African Art
coll
African Art
med
Wood, metal, leather, and organic materials
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
67550840a32ab62e