An Akan terracotta funeral head, a small protruding mouth, a straight nose framed by coffee bean eyes, arched eyebrows, small hemispherical ears, a domed coiffure with a braid along the hairline and round curls, grooves around the neck, covered with kaolin; weathered condition.

"Like other examples of African portraiture, these commemorative sculptures are idealized representations that convey individuality through specifics of scarification and hairstyle. The artist would typically be summoned to the deathbed of the deceased in order to observe his or her distinguishing characteristics, which she would depict later, working from memory to capture the individual’s essence. The figural terra-cotta sculptures vary enormously in style, ranging from fairly naturalistic and sculpturally rounded forms to examples that are solid, flat, and more dramatically stylized." Source: MET, NY

Lit.: Cole/Ross, 1977; Drost, 1967; Ghana Museum, s.d.; de Grunne, 1980; Holas, 1951; McLeod, 1981; George Nelson Perston, 1981; Rattry, 1927; Schaedler, 1985; Sieber 1972; Stößel, 1981. 

sold

Height: 23 cm
Weight: 1,3 kg