This pose mimics a dance posture, and the sculpture was probably used as part of a stage set used by a popular band when playing to celebrate births, weddings, and funerals. The aristocratic high forehead and dramatic angling of arms and legs of this dynamic figure identify it as Brong.
Details
| Maker | Akan, African |
|---|---|
| Title |
|
| Date | 20th century |
| Medium | wood, gold, silver, and paint |
| Dimensions | Overall: 24 × 14 1/2 × 7 1/2 inches (61 × 36.8 × 19.1 cm) |
| Credit Line | Founders Society Purchase, Eleanor Clay Ford Fund for African Art |
| Accession Number | 76.94 |
| Department | Africa, Oceania & Indigenous Americas |
| On View | African N1BB, Level 1 (see map) |
Provenance
Jay C. Leff.
(Furman Gallery);
1976-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)
(Furman Gallery);
1976-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)
Published References
Detroit Collects African Art. Exh. cat., DIA. Detroit, April 21-May 29, 1977, no. 59.
Bulletin of the DIA 56 (1977-AR): p. 58 (ill.).
African Masterworks In The Detroit Institute of Arts. Washington and London: The Detroit Institute of Arts and Smithsonian Institution Press, 1995, cat. no. 25.
Quarcoopome, Nii. “Akan Wood Sculpture,” Bulletin of the DIA 91, 1-4 (2017): p. 104 (fig. 5.28).
Bulletin of the DIA 56 (1977-AR): p. 58 (ill.).
African Masterworks In The Detroit Institute of Arts. Washington and London: The Detroit Institute of Arts and Smithsonian Institution Press, 1995, cat. no. 25.
Quarcoopome, Nii. “Akan Wood Sculpture,” Bulletin of the DIA 91, 1-4 (2017): p. 104 (fig. 5.28).
