A Dan/Guerré sculpture

A Dan/Guerré sculpture, Ivory Coast, collected in the region of Danané, provenance Bakari Bouaflé.

Unlike the more restrained, idealized forms found in Dan portrait masks (déanglé), Guéré sculptures and masks are more dynamic and expressive. Dan-Guéré sculptures—especially helmet masks and ritual figures—feature exaggerated, sometimes aggressive forms: wide gaping mouths, protruding jaws, bulging eyes, and layered surfaces adorned with organic materials such as cowrie shells, feathers, raffia, and metal. These features are not simply decorative; they are believed to amplify the sculpture's spiritual charge and its capacity to command fear, authority, and attention in performance contexts.
Used in masquerades and secret society rituals, these sculptures serve both judicial and protective roles. They are often activated during disputes, initiation ceremonies, or moments of communal unrest. Their fierce appearance signals their power to channel spiritual forces—sometimes ancestral, sometimes nature spirits—and to intervene in human affairs for the welfare of the village.

As noted by scholar Susan M. Vogel:
“For the Dan and Guéré, a sculpture is not a representation of a spirit, but a dwelling place. It becomes efficacious only when inhabited by the spirit it was created to house, and this transformation occurs through complex rituals and community engagement.”
— Susan M. Vogel, “Baule: African Art, Western Eyes” (1997).

Height: 81 cm 
Weight: 3,1 kg