Object Details
- Asante artist
- Label Text
- Among the Asante and neighboring peoples, voluntary music associations, such as the Ntan society, provide entertainment for a variety of occasions, including weddings, funerals and festivals. Many of the motifs on the drums relate to Asante proverbs and refer to the qualities the society seeks in its members or to the society's relationship to the town. The heart under the breasts has been interpreted as "Be patient," all association members should have a motherly heart. The crossed crocodiles with a shared stomach point to the futility of arguments within a group with the same goals and needs.
- The holes around the middle of the drum originally held wood pegs for adjusting the tension on the drumhead, also missing now.
- Description
- Drum with breasts and relief carvings of animals, people on triangular chip carved background. Images include heart, three women, crossed crocodiles, bird trap, snake, stars, etc.
- Provenance
- Emil J. Arnold, New York, -- to 1968
- Exhibition History
- Celebration: A World of Art and Ritual, Renwick Gallery, Washington D.C., March 17, 1982-July 10, 1983
- Published References
- Smithsonian Institution. Office of Folklife Programs and Renwick Gallery of the National Museum of American Art. 1982. Celebration: A World of Art and Ritual. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, p. 77, no. 56a (not illustrated).
- Content Statement
- As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
- Image Requests
- High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
- Credit Line
- Gift of Emil Arnold
- Mid-20th century
- Object number
- 68-36-398
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- Sculpture
- Medium
- Wood, paint
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 83.2 x 47.9 x 47.9 cm (32 3/4 x 18 7/8 x 18 7/8 in.)
- Geography
- Ghana
- See more items in
- National Museum of African Art Collection
- National Museum of African Art
- Topic
- crocodile
- snake
- tree
- Male use
- star
- heart
- ladder
- male
- female
- Record ID
- nmafa_68-36-398
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys70e4c793b-50e4-442e-82b8-f51372026673
