Standing figure "obrafo" · Ghana, Ashanti · ID: 3053437
Starting price
EUR 4,500
Estimated price
EUR 5,000
Provenance
Wolfgang Ketterer, Munich, Germany, 17 April 1993, lot 104Arno Henseler, Munich, Germany
Size
H: 37 cm
H: 14.6 inch
Description
wood, pigments, base
Depicted is an executioner holding a sword and the head of an executed person. He belonged to the “abrafo” (sing. “obrafo”), a protective force at the Akan court whose duties included ritual and ceremonial functions and the enforcement of royal sentences, including executions.
Comparing literature
van der Pas, Kathy et. al. (ed), Aspects, Akan cultures in Ghana, The Hague 2001, p. 77