GHANA

Details

Tête en bronze Akan
Bronze Akan head
Ghana
Hauteur: 11 cm. (4¼ in.)

Provenance

Collection Rudolf et Leonore Blum

Special notice

ƒ: In addition to the regular Buyer’s premium, a commission of 5.5% inclusive of VAT of the hammer price will be charged to the buyer. It will be refunded to the Buyer upon proof of export of the lot outside the European Union within the legal time limit. (Please refer to section VAT refunds)

Further details

See Enchères Rive Gauche, Paris, "Collection Vérité", 17-18 June 2006, lot 143 for a maskette of related style and scale.
According to Garrard, the pendant gold heads served different uses in Ghana and the Ivory Coast. In Ghana, as with the offered Blum maskette, they were usually attached to state swords, where they represent the heads of enemies killed in battle. In Ivory Coast, on the other hand, they were used as personal jewelry said to represent friends, lovers or ancestral kings (Gold of Africa, Barbier-Mueller Museum, 1989, p.102, figure 94).

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Lot Essay

Voir Enchères Rive Gauche, Paris, Collection Vérité, 17-18 juin 2006, lot 143 pour une masquette comparable par son style et sa dimension. D'après Garrard, les pendentifs en or céphalomorphes avaient différentes fonctions au Ghana et en Côte d'Ivoire. Au Ghana, à l'image de l'objet de la collection Blum, ils étaient habituellement attachés aux épées de parade, figurant les têtes des ennemis vaincus au combat. En revanche, en Côte d'Ivoire, ils étaient utilisés comme bijoux personnels et représentaient le visage d'amis, d'amants ou de chefs ancestraux (Gold of Africa, Musée Barbier-Mueller, 1989, p.102, fig.94).

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