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Akan-Adansi Head, Ghana — Akan-Adansi Head, Ghana
Akan-Adansi Head, Ghana

Akan-Adansi Head, Ghana

This wooden sculptural head from the Akan-Adansi people of Ghana exemplifies the refined naturalism and spiritual purpose characteristic of West African portrait sculpture. Created to commemorate an ancestor or serve a ceremonial function, the work demonstrates masterful carving technique through its balanced proportions, serene expression, and careful attention to facial features. The piece reflects the Akan aesthetic values of dignity and restraint while maintaining the spiritual potency essential to its role in cultural and religious practice.

🔨 Auction Lot

Art of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas

October 11, 2024

Estimate: $20,000$30,000

Lot 10

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About this work

Akan-Adansi Head, Ghana, Akan-Adansi Head, Ghana

This wooden sculptural head from the Akan-Adansi people of Ghana exemplifies the refined naturalism and spiritual purpose characteristic of West African portrait sculpture. Created to commemorate an ancestor or serve a ceremonial function, the work demonstrates masterful carving technique through its balanced proportions, serene expression, and careful attention to facial features. The piece reflects the Akan aesthetic values of dignity and restraint while maintaining the spiritual potency essential to its role in cultural and religious practice.

Seen at
Sotheby's, New York, London, Hong Kong, Paris

Related themes

Three Dimensional Sculpture, Pre-Colonial Era, Idealized facial features, Spiritual reverence, African traditional sculpture, Akan culture, Ghanaian Artist, Wood Carving, Ceremonial Object, Ancestral portraiture