Memorial head ·  Ghana, Akan · ID: 3044029

Description

ceramic/terracotta, base

The style of this head is close to the William Brill head pictured in Cole and Ross, The Arts of Ghana, 1977, ill. 282 .

Memorial heads such as this example have at least a 400-year heritage among the Akan where they represent the retainers or a generalized portrait of an important elder, either male or female. They were not positioned on the grave, but placed either in a sacred grove “asenie” close to the cemetery or in a shrine or stool room where libations and sacrifices were occasionally offered and rituals were performed.

The object Memorial head with the object ID 3044029 was last part of the auction 89th Tribal Art Auction at July 7, 2018 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 231.

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Comparing literature

Cole, Herbert M. & Doran H. Ross, The Arts of Ghana, Los Angeles 1977, ill. 282

Publications

AHDRC: 0153683