Dan Mask, Côte d'Ivoire or Liberia

John J. Klejman, New York
Edwin and Cherie Silver, Los Angeles, acquired from the above on May 19, 1972

Very good condition overall. Nicks, chips, scratches, and abrasions consistent with age and use. A hairline crack to the proper left side of forehead. An old loss to the proper left edge of mask, just above eye-level. Small section of top edge of mask broken and glued. Very fine reddish brown patina, with traces of encrusted white pigment in the parallel grooves around the face.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Throughout their long journey together as collectors, Edwin and Cherie Silver developed close relationships with many of the most influential art dealers, scholars, fellow collectors, and connoisseurs in both Europe and the United States. Among them was the Polish-born art dealer John J. Klejman (1906-1995), who served as a historical bridge between the European art world as it existed before the Second World War and the budding art market in prosperous post-war America. Klejman would become one of the most important New York dealers of his day, and one of the most influential figures in developing American appreciation of African art.

As a pre-medical student in Paris, Klejman had first discovered African art as a young man in the 1930s, not long after it had become fashionable with members of the artistic avant-garde (see Van Dyke, African Art from The Menil Collection, 2008, p. 21). From a Jewish family in Warsaw, he made his business selling antique European decorative arts before the Second World War. Surviving the horrors of the war, Klejman and his family were displaced and ultimately settled in New York. He found that he was able to acquire African art of high quality at relatively reasonable prices in both Europe and in New York, and thus he began to rebuild his business and capitalised on the art world’s growing enthusiasm for arts of world cultures. In the late 1950s, Klejman opened his New York gallery at 982 Madison Avenue in the Parke-Bernet building. The gallery would become the site where many of the great American collectors of the twentieth century had their first exposure to African Art, with the benefit of Klejman's famously refined taste and intuition for quality.

Ed and Cherie Silver acquired numerous pieces from Klejman, including this very fine Dan mask of classic deangle form. As Klejman described it in his characteristic style: "A mask carved in hard wood with a convex forehead, large slit eyes with simplified boat shaped lids and eyebrows, small delicate nose with flaring narines, pursed mouth with highly stylised lips and pointed chin. Along the edge of the face on the recessed surface are deep grooves and along the outer edge and above the forehead are perforations for the attachment of fibers. Excellent highly polished smooth patina. Nineteenth century."