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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.

Page data

Page
1
Source index
0
Type
photo
Media ID
67550840a32ab62e
Size
unknown

Document data

ID
146930
Core
obj
Type
object
DTO data
{
    "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",
    "citation": "https://clevelandart.org/art/1972.331",
    "rights": "CC0",
    "rightsUri": "CC0",
    "language": "en",
    "genreSpecific": [
        "Mask"
    ],
    "iiifBase": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1972.331/1972.331_web.jpg",
    "thumbnailUrl": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1972.331/1972.331_web.jpg",
    "largeImageUrl": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1972.331/1972.331_web.jpg",
    "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"
}

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Document identity
{
    "localId": "146930",
    "label": "Face Mask",
    "core": "obj",
    "dtoType": "object"
}
Document 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",
    "citation": "https://clevelandart.org/art/1972.331",
    "rights": "CC0",
    "rightsUri": "CC0",
    "language": "en",
    "genreSpecific": [
        "Mask"
    ],
    "iiifBase": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1972.331/1972.331_web.jpg",
    "thumbnailUrl": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1972.331/1972.331_web.jpg",
    "largeImageUrl": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1972.331/1972.331_web.jpg",
    "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"
}
Document 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"
        }
    ],
    "url": "https://clevelandart.org/art/1972.331",
    "creditline": "Gift of Katherine C. White",
    "updatedAt": "2026-05-29 07:31:41.148000",
    "imageUrl": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1972.331/1972.331_print.jpg",
    "sourceId": 146930,
    "dept": "African Art",
    "coll": "African Art",
    "med": "Wood, metal, leather, and organic materials",
    "thumbnail_url": null,
    "image_url": null
}
Page context
{
    "seq": 1,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "photo",
    "url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1972.331/1972.331_web.jpg",
    "mediaId": "67550840a32ab62e"
}