Akan Bracelet, Ivory Coast – Ghana, 19th Century.

A bracelet in the form of an open ribbon, featuring a central head adorned with linear scarification, flanked by two naturally sculpted mice in relief. The piece is distinguished by its precise carved decoration and balanced composition, highlighting the zoomorphic motif. Brass, patinated by age and use. Akan, Ivory Coast – Ghana, 19th century. Dimensions: 11 × 7 × 4.2 cm. Provenance: formerly in a Parisian collection. Sold with an invoice from the Ocarina Gallery and a certificate of authenticity from the expert Serge Reynes. Guaranteed original and period. "In Akan societies, the mouse occupies a unique place in divination practices, notably as a mediator between the visible world and invisible forces. This type of bracelet could be worn on the recommendation of the diviner, giving the object a protective and ritual function. By its dimensions, its weight and the quality of its ornamentation, it also constituted a marker of rank, reserved for a woman of high status or invested with a symbolic role within the group."