Do mask, second quarter of 20th century, 13 1/4 × 7 5/16 × 3 7/8 in. (33.66 × 18.57 × 9.84 cm), Wood, metal, Côte d'Ivoire, 20th century, African masks sometimes feature an animal or person on top; in this case, theres a rectangular panel with a knob. It represents a Quranic board, a kind of plank used throughout Africa as an aid in learning to read and write Arabic for religious purposes. Among the small subgroup of African masks used in Muslim communities during Islamic festivals, this one would have been used by the Do association of the West African Ligbi people and their neighbors during masked dances marking the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.