Dan Wood Passport Mask

Dark and smooth, with pale-rimmed eyes that give it a permanent look of surprise.

This Dan passport mask of wood is Dan, from Liberia, West Africa. The term passport mask came into use among dealers and collectors for pocket-sized Dan masks, and it does not come from the people who made them. Slender oval mask with a glossy black finish and a small, narrow nose. The round eyes are ringed in pale paint. A small mouth with a raised lip sits low on the face, and tiny holes line the edge. It is mounted on a thin black stand. It is 3 inches wide, 1.5 deep and 5.5 high.

A face that has seen things and politely says nothing.