{"product_id":"dan-wood-passport-mask-ma-go","title":"Dan Wood Passport Mask (Ma Go)","description":"\u003cp\u003eDan peoples, Liberia \/ Côte d'Ivoire, early–mid 20th century\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA finely carved miniature Dan mask, known as a ma go (\"small head\") or \"passport mask,\"  deangle feminine-beauty type of classic bi-planar, symmetrical oval form with a smoothly domed forehead, deeply recessed almond-shaped eyes beneath an elegantly arched brow, a long triangular ridge-nose, full parted lips, and a tapering pointed chin. The forehead is crowned with a band of finely incised ridges representing the coiffure or hairline, and the wood has acquired a deep, lustrous brown patina from generations of handling and ritual care.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAmong the Dan of Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire, miniature masks of this type are owned by men and women whose families possess an important full-size mask; the ma go serves as a personal amulet that maintains the bearer's connection to the protective spirit of the parent mask while travelling, and is traditionally kept wrapped in cloth or carried in a small leather pouch — the source of the European collector's nickname \"passport mask\". Diviners may also prescribe such miniatures for protective, curative, or preventative purposes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDimensions: 4¼ inches high (approx. 10.8 cm); presented on a custom metal-and-wood display mount\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCondition: Excellent age-appropriate condition; rich handling patina, minor wear and small losses to nose and lip edges consistent with ritual use\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProvenance: Ex collection of Mark Isaacson (founding partner of the legendary Fifty\/50 Gallery, New York) and Greg Nacozy.  The Isaacson\/Nacozy provenance is a meaningful added value — Mark Isaacson was a founding member of the influential 1980s downtown New York Fifty\/50 Gallery and a serious collector of African art alongside midcentury design and photography; the collection has been carefully preserved by Greg Nacozy since Isaacson's death in 1993.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Art for Eternity","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53455457059130,"sku":"14309","price":895.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0775\/5120\/6714\/files\/14309blue.jpg?v=1778776037","url":"https:\/\/howardnowes.com\/products\/dan-wood-passport-mask-ma-go","provider":"Art for Eternity","version":"1.0","type":"link"}