Commemorative head

Object Details

Akan artist

Label Text

This terracotta head commemorated a member of a royal family who lived in what is now south central Ghana. Such sculptures, viewed as substitutes for the deceased, were installed at formal funerals, which took place days or months after the actual burial. Although regarded as portraits, they offer only a stylized resemblance to the departed, with some specific aspects such as hairstyle, a beard or pierced ears.

Stylistically similar pieces have been found in an archaeological site at Hemang (Twifo-Hemang), in southern Ghana, that was occupied from before 1690 to about 1730. The broad forehead, the semicircular eyebrows, the closed eyes, naturalistic nose and small mouth are characteristic of the Twifo style.

When a royal personage died, a potter would be commissioned by the family to make a commemorative portrait along with sculptures representing family members, associates and servants. The potter would also be asked to make cooking pots and jars. This group of ceramic objects, produced for a special purpose and used only once, probably was assembled within the village where the funeral services were held. The female head or queen mother of another clan would prepare food in the pots. Then the figures, the food and the hearth would be moved to an area called the "place of pots," a spot outside the village reserved for funerary objects. The male head of the clan would taste the food and the funeral party would return to the village, leaving the food, pots and portraits behind. Research suggests that such funerary practices, in which portrait figures played an important part, existed as early as the 17th century and lasted well into the 20th.

Description

Low fired ceramic head with small clusters of hair, a triangular hole in the back and an abraded area on its proper left cheek.

Provenance

Samuel (Samir) Borro, Côte d'Ivoire, 1974

Emile M. Deletaille, Brussels, 1974 to 1985

Credit Line

Museum purchase

Late 17th-early 18th century

Object number

85-1-4

Restrictions & Rights

CC0

Type

Sculpture

Medium

Ceramic

Dimensions

H x W x D: 23 x 10.4 x 11.2 cm (9 1/16 x 4 1/8 x 4 7/16 in.)

Geography

Twifo-Hemang region, Ghana

National Museum of African Art

Topic

Funerary

Commemorative

male

Record ID

nmafa_85-1-4

Usage of Metadata (Object Detail Text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys75e3141ae-e196-4316-ba84-12ec87d3a1f9