Terracotta Head, Akan Kwahu People, Ghana

Funerary head showing us a concave face inscribed in a circle. The "coffee bean" eyes are half-closed. The eyebrows formed by a double arch meet at the top of the nasal bridge. The mouth is half-open and recalls the shape of the eyes. Two small fins frame the chin. This type of head rested on a ringed neck which is missing here and represented a chief. During funeral ceremonies, which could take place up to two years after the death of the chief, a head or statue representing the deceased was sculpted and carried through the village. It was then left on the tomb of the deceased or placed on an altar where it received libations. It is an ancestor cult.
The head that I am presenting to you here is particularly large.
Terracotta with greyish slip, cracks, losses
Height: 37 cm, Width: 37.5 cm
Akan Kwahu people, Ghana
First half of the 20th century
Provenance: ex Norbert Boutet collection
Sold with its base