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LOT 2392
African Wooden 'Akuaba Doll' Wedding Fertility Figure Pair
ASHANTI TRIBE, EARLY-MID 20TH CENTURY A.D.
14 1/8 - 14 3/8 in. (985 grams total, 36-36.5 cm).
Each with exaggerated discoid head, squat body with stub arms, standing on a conical base. [2, No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom Ghana, West Africa.
Ex private Cheshire, UK, collection.
From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
Among the Ashanti people in Ghana, women hoping for offspring carry these ‘Akuaba dolls’ in their clothes. Traditionally, these ‘Akuaba’ have a large, round, flat head that is reminiscent of its origin as a representation of the moon goddess, which is associated with fertility. Once the ‘Akuaba’ figure has fulfilled its purpose, the mother of the desired child places it on her domestic altar, where it is worshipped in a shrine, or she passes it on to the next generation.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 2392
African Wooden 'Akuaba Doll' Wedding Fertility Figure Pair
Sold for (Inc. bp): £26
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African Brass Manilla Slave Bracelet
Okombo Tribe, late 19th-early 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £52
Penannular in form, comprising rectangular polyhedral blocks with ring-and-dot ornament, spiral form to the arms. 244 grams, 87 mm
From Nigeria, West Africa. From an old Derby, UK, specialist collection. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
Once a form of currency for West African peoples, manillas became one of the main currencies of choice during the slave trade to the Americas. Their usage during this time in history was of such prevalence that they were often referred to as “slave trade money.” Provenance: Private Derby Oriental Collection. The Manilla is in very good condition and measures 105mm wide and weighs about 250gms. Manillas are typically horseshoe-shaped with flared ends and often decorated with balls on each end. Africans from each region had names for each variety of manilla and were very particular about the types they would accept. They valued the Manillas by the sound they made when struck and used them as the dominant form of currency for many things including everyday market purchases, bride price and burials. The main purpose of the manilla – the trading and purchase of slaves- fostered a system where the incoming voyage of Europeans took manillas to West Africa to obtain slaves, who were then taken to the Americas. The price of a slave valued in manillas varied depending on the time, place and type being offered. -
African Wooden Fertility Figure
Yoruba Tribe, mid 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £39
Carved in the round standing male figures with tall hatched headdress extending to the rear, hands placed either side of his distended abdomen, knees flexed, standing on a plano-convex base. 1.1 kg, 48.5 cm
From South West Nigeria, West Africa. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
The Yoruba are the largest nation in Africa with an art-producing tradition. Their figures, more often of Shango (also spelled Sango and Sagoe), deity of thunder and lightning are carved from wood and kept in shrines. -
African Wooden Ceremonial Face Mask
Chokwe Tribe, 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
A carved face mask, decorated with lengths of fibre representing hair, with small nose, carved teeth and scarification. 285 grams, face long: 20 cm
From Western Ivory Coast, West Africa. From the late Brian Morley collection, 1950s. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
