Dan Grebe Passport Mask, Based

Somewhere, a solemn dark face with round eyes and a downturned mouth, taking in the room.

This grebe passport mask is Dan, from Liberia, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is wood. The Dan are known for finely carved wooden masks with smooth surfaces, and small versions are often kept by individuals or families rather than worn in performance. Viewed whole, a tapering carved mask in glossy reddish brown, with small round eye openings and a long straight nose. The mouth is a shallow bar with a down-turned corner, and the chin narrows to a point.

A stern expression that has clearly never lost a staring contest.