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HOME :
African & Tribal Art :
Akan, Asante, Fanti : Akan Terracotta Ancestral Head
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Akan Terracotta Ancestral Head - PF.6033
Origin: Ghana
Circa: 16
th
Century AD
to 18
th
Century AD
Dimensions:
4.25" (10.8cm) high
Collection: African
Medium: Terracotta
$500.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
Among the funerary rituals of the ancient Akan
peoples are ceramic sculptures dedicated to the
memory of their ancestors that served as grave
markers. Although these ceramic sculptures are
sometimes full figures, they are more often just
heads. These heads are thought to
commemorate royalty. Sometimes they are
placed in special shrines where their receive
annual libations. However, most of them appear
to have been placed in or in the direct vicinity of
cemeteries. Frequently labeled as “portraits,”
they are not in the Western understanding of the
word. Only some features, such as hairstyles
and scarifications, are specifically related to the
deceased. Yet these features would be sufficient
for his relative to recognize him by. Before being
placed as a grave marker, these heads would be
used in ceremonies pertaining to the deceased.
These ceremonies would often last as long as
forty days or until the dead had achieved
ancestral status through the rituals. Gazing
upon this head we are confronted with the image
of a parted soul. While upon death our bodies
decompose and leave behind skeletal remains of
our physical being, this small terracotta head is
the skeleton of the spirit. It honors not the
body, not the physical presence of a person, but
the entire essence of their being.
- (PF.6033)
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