An Akan terracotta head

An Akan terracotta head, completely covered with white kaolin, which showes that this sculpture was used indoors as memorial figure on a sgrine and not in funeral context.The present ‘portrait head’ of the Ashanti is probably attributed to the Hemang-Twifo region.

“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 terracotta 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.

600 – 800,- Euro

Height: 27 cm
Weight: 1,6 kg