Early 20th C. African Fante Wood Female Ancestor Figure- Lot 126, Auction 12/25/2020
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Early 20th C. African Fante Wood Female Ancestor Figure- Lot 126, Auction 12/25/2020

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Western Africa, Ghana, Fante (Fanti) peoples, ca. early to mid 20th century CE. A fine anthropomorphic depiction of an upright female figure, hand-carved from a single piece of lightweight wood. Her tubular torso rests upon short, delineated legs, her arms and hands held tightly against her midsection, with perky breasts and flush shoulders framing her overall composition. A quixotic visage exhibits a slender nose, semicircular ears, and an arching brow line, with a plaited coiffure covering her domed head. A trio of beaded bands ring her neck, and a single band adorns one ankle. Kaolin-based paint provide the exterior with a chalky-white coloration. The color white was highly symbolic, and most likely indicates that she was meant to represent a deceased family member. Examples like this were typically kept inside the home or a personal shrine as a physical memory of one’s departed ancestors. Size: 9.75″ H (24.8 cm).

Condition: Expected age-commensurate surface wear, fading and chipping to painted details, fading to details on face and body, with some inactive insectile damage, otherwise very good. Light earthen deposits throughout.

Provenance: ex-Adeon Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, USA acquired prior to 1970

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