Forowa - Ashanti/Djenné - Μάλι/Γκάνα

Three antique objects from West-Africa.
First the bronze container: , made of thin bronze sheets and designed into a cylindrical bronze box with a round domed lid. This box is beautifully decorated with floral and animal motifs, incised into the thin bronze sheet.
The surface has a green patina; due to its old age; also some corrosion has occurred on the lid. Mostly these boxes ,or "Forowa`s", as they are called in Ghana, were buried underground or placed near family altars. Made in the late 19th cent. Dim. 10 x 17 cm. For more information on these rare boxes see the book; "Bronzes et autres alliages", by Andre Blandin. page; 170-171.
The two other objects ,made of pottery, are from the Djenné region of central Mali and belong to the Medieval Djenó culture. They are used as gravemarkers and are buried as a totemic object alongside the deceased. The serpents on the markers have a protective quality, guarding the deceased from evil spirits. Sometimes these items are found in times of flooding, when old settlements are exposed. Possibly pre 19th.
All items were collected in situ in the 1990`s. From a private Dutch collection.