Memorial head · Côte d'Ivoire / Ghana, Anyi (Agni) - Sanwi (Krinjabo) · ID: 3051056
Marcel Lheureux, France
Marcel Lheureux was a French medical doctor who traveled in the Agni-Sanwi region in the 1920s, where he developed a great interest in the terracottas found there. He collected a large group of Krinjabo heads and also full figures. In 1932, he deposited a record of his conclusions regarding the terracottas at the Musée de l’Homme in Paris. His collection was probably the largest outside of Africa (Guy van Rijn 2008).
Description
ceramic / terracotta, on original base by Kichizô Inagaki (1876-1951), with signature
Memorial heads served as receptacle for the fleshless soul of divine ancestors. They were not positioned on the grave, but placed either in a sacred grove close to the cemetery or in a shrine or stool room where libations and sacrifices were occasionally offered and rituals were performed.