Bague de chef avec grenouille ·  Ghana, Akan / Ashanti · ID: 3045200

Description

gold alloy ca.1,00 (24 carat), base

The image of a frog might seem to be an unusual royal symbol, but it is a common motif on chief’s rings.

It is connected with the following proverb: “A frog’s length is only apparent after death”. The implication is that a chief’s accomplishments are often not appreciated during his lifetime and that it is only looking back at his career after his death that his contributions can be fully understood.

Littérature comparée

Ross, Doran H., Gold of the Akan from the Glassell Collection, Houston 2002, p. 173