Ave!
Perhaps this is the best explanation from a friend in
Romania.
I was (and am) puzzled by the object. I think that you association with
Pan may have been more possible if the discovery site was
Ukraine, but also then,
Pan has no
bull horns. The fact that it was discovered in Croatia makes me think that it may be another older
God: similar masks are
part of the New Year's celebrations in Romanian villages. I'll send you a video a feeling of the traditions showing their thousands of years pre-Christian origins.
The masks, and their dances, are to frighten the bad and evil spirits, to stop them to enter in the New Year in the house of those
they visit and where they perform the ritual: dancing and singing. The masks represent Gods, and fabulous characters from lost
(transformed) religions, beliefs and customs. After the dance in the yard the host gives to the band wine and food. The masks band goes
from household to household, in some parts of the country until end February. These traditions bridge to the 1st of March, the start
of the year at the agricultural societies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnXE_fWRtW4Best,
Kevin