BoW-7 / Akua'ba - Akan (Asante), Ghana

Height: 9 in / 22.9 cm

ex Fily Keita, CA, USA
ex Michael Sorafine, CA, USA
Joaquin Blanco, CA, USA

Wood, pigment

This is another figure that has always felt a bit outside the usual categories for me, but it has felt special from the first time I encountered it. It is an unusual example within the corpus. The elongated proportions of the torso and arms immediately stand out.

The body has the appearance of being clothed, squaring off at the lower torso before narrowing inward toward the legs. That transition, combined with the overall flatness of the carving, gives the figure a distinct presence. The legs are short, slightly bent, and particularly unusual. When viewed from the side, their shape becomes even more intriguing.

The knees are clearly defined, yet the area at the back of the legs above them raises questions for me. I’ve often wondered whether this was meant to suggest buttocks or if it reflects a carving choice that no longer has a clear explanation. Whatever the intention, the legs give the figure a fragile, almost tentative quality.

The treatment of the arms reinforces this restraint. The elongated upper arms turn inward at a sharp angle toward smaller forearms, with the hands meeting quietly at the center. There is very little outward gesture. Even the face is understated, with minimal features and a calm, inward-looking expression. The carved lines across the head add texture and visually echo the rings of the neck.

It is a figure that doesn’t assert itself immediately, but instead invites close viewing. The more time I spend with it, the less it feels about idealized form and the more it becomes about presence. It is quiet, reserved, and introspective in a way I don’t often encounter.

$2500 plus shipping