An Akan terracotta vessel that probably belongs to the so-called burial arts.

The Akan do not see death as something final, but as a transition to the realm of the ancestors, where life continues in a different form. For this reason, there are a large number of terracotta vessels for the burial ritual. This vessel consists of a bulbous hollow form supported by five men and a "lid" with a mother with child on it, who in turn sits on a bench while suckling her infant; greyish patina on reddish fired clay.

Akan Terracotta Heads: Gods or Ancestors? Michelle Gilbert; African Arts
Vol. 22, No. 4 (Aug., 1989), pp. 34-43+85-86 (12 pages)
Published By: UCLA James S. Coleman African Studies Center.

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Height: 51 cm
Weight: 4,6 kg