BoW-9 / Akua'ba - Akan (Fante), Ghana

Height: 10.5 in / 26.7 cm

ex private collection, Baltimore, MD, USA
ex Christie's London Jan 13, 1975 lot 555
Private collection Rand Ningali, CO, USA

Wood, pigment, beads, string

This is another one of those love at first sight figures for me. Elongated necks are uncommon among Fante akua’mma as the necks tend to be very short and not an important factor in the form of the figure. For me, the elongated neck adds a great deal of character, especially in the way it works with the expression on the face. I sometimes joke that the neck feels almost adjustable, as if it could raise or lower itself. Here it feels raised, like the figure is quietly seeking attention—and that may be exactly why it caught mine.