Interiors & Decorations

Jewellery & Precious Stones

Watches, Pens & Lighters

Fashion

Coins & Stamps

Comics & Animation

Classic Cars, Motorcycles & Automobilia

Wine, Whisky & Spirits

Asian & Tribal Art

Trading Cards

Toys & Models

Archaeology & Natural History

Sports

Music, Movies & Cameras

Books & Historical Memorabilia

The finest objects brought to you by {name}

Dimitri André

A couple of Akuaba sculptures with horms, Ghana, blackened surface, some abraisons.

Disk-headed akuaba figures remain one of the most recognizable forms in African art. Akua ba are used in a variety of contexts; primarily, however, they are consecrated by priests and carried by women who hope to conceive a child. The flat, disklike head is a strongly exaggerated convention of the Akan ideal of beauty: a high, oval forehead, slightly flattened in actual practice by gentle modeling of an infant's soft cranial bones. The flattened shape of the sculpture also serves a practical purpose, since women carry the figures against their backs wrapped in their skirt, evoking the manner that infants are carried. The rings on the figure's neck are a standard convention for rolls of fat, a sign of beauty, health, and prosperity in Akan culture. The delicate mouth of the figure is small and set low on the face. The small scars just discernible below the eyes of this figure refer to a local medical practice as protection against convulsions. Most akua ba have abstracted horizontal arms and a cylindrical torso with simple indications of the breasts and navel; the torso ends in a base as opposed to human legs. The style of this sculpture is rare among other extant examples of akua ba due to its miniaturized naturalistic body, arms, and legs. Full-bodied figures such as this are believed to be a recent twentieth-century innovation within the akua ba sculptural tradition.

The name akua ba comes from the Akan legend of a woman named Akua who was barren, but like all Akan women, she desired most of all to bear children. She consulted a priest who instructed her to commission the carving of a small wooden child and to carry the surrogate child on her back as if it were real. Akua cared for the figure as she would a living baby, even giving it gifts of beads and other trinkets. She was laughed at and teased by fellow villagers, who began to call the wooden figure Akua ba, or "Akua's child." Eventually though, Akua conceived a child and gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Soon thereafter, even her detractors began adopting the same practice to overcome barrenness.

All genuine akua ba are female images, primarily because Akua's first child was a girl but also because Akan society is matrilineal, so women prefer female children who will perpetuate the family line. Girls will also assist in all household chores, including the care of any smaller children in the family.

After influencing pregnancy, akua ba are often returned to shrines as offerings to the spirits who responded to the appeals for a child. A collection of figures becomes an advertisement for the spirits' ability to help women conceive. Families also keep akua ba as memorials to a child or children. The figures become family heirlooms and are appreciated not for their spiritual associations, but rather because they are beautiful images that call to mind a loved one. MET NY.

Height: 32 cm / 32 cm
Weight: 190 g / 240 g

Wood - Fair condition

Akuaba - Ghana  (No Reserve Price)

African & Tribal Art

Reserve price

No reserve price

Buy now

Closing date

today

Thursday

Wednesday

Friday

19 April

Tuesday

tomorrow

Budget

From

Location

France

Belgium

Germany

Spain

The Netherlands

Italy

Austria

Portugal

United Kingdom

Greece

Japan

Luxembourg

United States

Dimensions

Height

Width

Depth

Object

Tribal art and objects

Tribal sculptures statues carvings and figurines

Tribal masks

Figure

Dance mask

Mask

Sculpture

Fetish figure

Tribal textiles and clothing

Ancestor figure

Textile

Book

Painting

Print

Statue

Statuette

Cross

Puppet

Bracelet

Travel icon

Figurine

Comb

Reliquary

Cane

Country of origin

DR Congo

Nigeria

Mali

Congo

Côte d'Ivoire

Côte d’Ivoire

Ghana

Gabon

Benin

Cameroon

Burkina Faso

Angola

Togo

Tanzania

Africa

Democratic Republic of the Congo

South Africa

Ethiopia

Netherlands

Liberia

Niger

Zimbabwe

Rwanda

Material

Wood

Bronze

Terracotta

Copper

Iron (wrought)

Metal

Glass

Shell

Bone

Brass

Stone

Leather

Textiles

Patinated bronze

Hardwood

Woood (Yew)

Horn

Iron

Coral

Wood (Birch)

Jute

Gold

Silver

Steel

Gender

Children

Condition

Good condition

Excellent condition

Good condition - used with small signs of aging & blemishes

Fair condition

Fair condition -  heavily used & with possibly minor parts missing

Good

Excellent condition: barely used with minimal signs of wear

As new - unused

Good condition - used with small signs of ageing

Good condition - used with some signs of wear

Very good

Good condition, used with some signs of wear

Very good condition, see description

Needs restoration

As new

Fine

Excellent

Poor - heavily used with major cracks, damages or major parts missing

Extras

No extra's

Dust jacket

Period

Late 20th century

2000-2010

Mid 20th century

1930-1940

Early 20th century

1940-1950

1980-1990

2020+

1920-1930

1970-1980

1950-1960

1850-1900

1960-1970

1910-1920

1990-2000

1900-1910

1600-1650

1750-1800

Mid 19th century

1800-1850

1550-1600

1650-1700

21st century

Early 19th century

Late 19th century

Subject

Portrait

Historical scene

Tribal art and culture

Animals

Applied art

Style

Folk Art

Art Deco

Bauhaus

Antique inspired

Antique

Classical

Contemporary

Minimalist

Victorian

Modern

Technique

Oil painting

Mixed technique

Acrylic painting

Giclée

Digital print

Signature

Not signed

African & Tribal Art

This object is no longer available, but there’s still lots to explore

Akuaba - Ghana (No Reserve Price)

Popular in African & Tribal Art

926 objects

Related collections