Old female statue, AKAN/FANTE, Ghana, 1920-1940

Old female altar statue of the Akan/Fante from Ghana

Sometimes the aesthetics of images are very important and an image must be of high quality in terms of carving. For a number of trunks, function is decisive and aesthetics are much less important. This often leads to images that are completely honest and somehow disarming. For me, the presence and appearance is often more intrusive with fairly rudimentary images such as we know in Togo and Nigeria, for example. But this image also falls into that category. This female statue is very honest, clearly shows style characteristics of the Akan and the Fante (also some Agni), which is also normal in that region. These tribes influence each other in style and do not live strictly separated. A very beautiful image, also made with care, for example looking at the arms and hands and the face. The body and neck are rather rudimentary in design, but everything in the statue ultimately revolves around its function: an altar statue for honoring women in the broadest sense of the word. Can also have been used as a communication image with the ancestor. The wood is a hard type of wood with a deep brown color, glossy and with clearly visible traces of use. The face is serene, subdued but dominant in the image. The statue is neatly placed on a base.

Length: 35 cm, including base 38.5 cm
Weight: 834 grams
Origin: Ghana
Dating: 1920-40
Provenance: Obtained in situ by Peter Beaujean