ƒ AKAN COMMEMORATIVE HEAD AN AKAN COMMEMORATIVE... Lot 28

ƒ AKAN COMMEMORATIVE HEAD AN AKAN COMMEMORATIVE HEAD TWIFO-HEMANG REGION, GHANA Height: 28 cm. (11 in.) US$44,000-65,000 PROVENANCE Aaron Furman, Furman Gallery, New York James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, Chicago, acquired from the latter on 3 November 1973 This sumptuous commemorative head, hitherto unknown, is an exceptional rediscovery in this corpus which remains one of the most famous stylistic groups for Akan terracotta heads. The creative genius of this artist is distinguished by the idealized face, the elaborate royal coifure and the balance of forms translating the serene expression he gives to his sculptures. The treatment of the eyes is an iconographic element characteristic of the virtuosity of this masterful hand. They appear in relief, with half-closed eyelids, surmounted by half-ellipsed eyebrows, giving him a captivating look that has endured through the ages. Only four other heads by the same artist are listed: the first and best known, once held in the Baudoin de Grunne collection, now in the collection of the Fondation Dapper (inv. no. 2799), has been dated to the 18th century (1780, +/-35 years). A second one is kept in the prestigious collection of the Barbier-Mueller Museum (inv. no. 1009-6). These two commemorative portraits have been attributed to the Twifo-Hemang region of Ghana. Apart from the treatment of the keloids above the right eye, a third head, formerly in the Karl-Heinz Krieg collection (cf. Sotheby's, Paris, 12 December 2012, lot 69), closely resembles our copy. All the physical criteria, in particular the scars left by the scarifications, contribute to the individualisation of each of these idealised portraits that honour the memory of specific ancestors. For a last similar head, see Sotheby's, Paris, 21 June 2017, lot 61, from the former Jacques Viault collection. To bid, please visit the "Sales Information" section.