BoW-37 / Akua'ba - Akan (Asante), Ghana

Height: 11. 75 in / 29.8 cm

ex private collection, Canada

Wood, pigment

This figure has a great worn patina with only traces of its original black color remaining. The proportions are strongly head-focused, with a stocky neck and enlarged head dominating the figure, drawing your focus towards it. What really makes this head for me is how little it relies on detail—the carving is confident and reduced, and the expression comes almost entirely from the geometry of the face rather than from any added features. The back of the head balances the simplicity of the face with carved patterns that cover it entirely.

$1100 plus shipping