BoW-29 / Akua'ba - Akan (Asante), Ghana

Height: 11.25 in / 28.6 cm

ex Herbert Hamaak, Germany

Wood, pigment

What initially drew me to this figure was the delicacy of the face and the way it feels gently compressed at the lower edge of the head. On close inspection, you can see what appear to be teeth indicated within the very small mouth—an easy detail to miss unless you’re really paying attention, but I included a close-up photo to see it better. The large, almost perfectly circular head is carved quite thin, which gives it a particularly nice profile. Figure # 2603 in Ron van Doorn’s book Akua’ba Asante: Wednesday Child is most likely the same carver as this figure. Ron mentions in his book that the double-V form between the neck and breasts is possibly a sign of Islam often seen on Yoruba twin figures.

$1100 plus shipping