"Nntan" or "ompe" band drum · Ghana, Ashanti · ID: 3052281
Manfred Schäfer, Ulm, Germany
Zemanek-Münster, Würzburg, Germany, 22 March 2014, lot 409
Dutch Collection
Description
wood, paint residues (red and black), animal skin covering (renewed), rest.
The front of the “ntan” drum is carved with female breasts. The body of the drum is decorated with iconographic images and animal emblems.
“Ntan” or “ompe” bands were popular among the Akan peoples of Ghana between the 1920s and 1950s. They performed on occasions such as naming ceremonies, weddings, funerals and traditional festivals—any event where entertainment was needed.
The term “ntan” does not refer to the drum itself, but rather to the entire event that featured music and the display of carved figurative sculptures. The figures were arranged like a stage set near the “ntan” drums and were intended to enhance the performance.
The object “Nntan” or “ompe” band drum with the object ID 3052281 was last part of the auction Collectors’ Items Sale at September 24, 2025 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 174.
Here you will find more objects and interesting facts about African art.
Expertise
Karl-Ferdinand Schädler, 01.05.2003, Munich, Germany
Comparing literature
Cole, Herbert M. & Doran H. Ross, The Arts of Ghana, Los Angeles 1977, p. 170 ff.