Atie/Attye figure, Ghana
wood, beads, pigment
10.5" tall x 3" wide
late 19th / early 20th Century
ex Bruce Frank Primitive Arts, NYC
ex Serge Schoffel, Brussels
Yale-Van Rijn Photographic Archive reference number: 0076111~01
$5000
The majority of Atie figural sculpture is of females. In female representations of Akan-related groups "poise,
dignity, and stability are the keynotes. Inheritance and succession follow the female line; women must be strong,
solidly rooted to earth but upright on it" (Herbert M. Cole and Doran H. Ross. The Arts of Ghana. Los Angeles:
The Museum of Cultural History, University of California, Los Angeles, 1977, p.113).
The entire proper left arm is missing, as is the right from mid-forearm down. Most of the figure's left foot along with
some damage to the right toes. There is a long stable vertical crack down the proper left side of the head and
body. This figure has definite signs of age and use, but retains its classic beauty despite the damage.
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