Dan Maou Altar Mask In Comb Ivory Coast

Dan Maou mask Ivory Coast called comb, important ceremonial patina, total height 45 cm, good condition. We find the famous beak of this Dan subgroup, the Maous, and an important shamanic patina made of pulverizations by the mouth, probably beer + millet flour. The beak has a very sophisticated shape, in double arches, a prodigy of sculpture that I had never seen before. The attachment holes on the sides are very worn and attest to the important practice of the mask. Note also the 2 small bags attached on the sides, probably with magical materials. Interestingly the nose holes and the mouth are pierced, this is practically invisible from the front, this is neither done for the dancer nor for the public, but for the mask... which is considered to welcome a living spirit! I think it is an ancient dance mask, decreed as powerful by the shaman which therefore became an altar mask, hence the very important ritual patina.