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THBExhibited Ghanian Aowin/Akan Female Wood Shrine Figure
Lot 60d
About Seller
Artemis Fine Arts
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
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Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$1,200 - $1,800
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About Auction
Live
By Artemis Fine Arts
Aug 22, 2025
Set Reminder
2025-08-22 10:00:00
2025-08-22 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Indigenous Art - Ralph T. Coe Center, Santa Fe, NM
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/indigenous-art---ralph-t-coe-center-santa-fe-nm-20324
Featuring works of art from the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a non-profit focused on promoting Indigenous Arts globally. All proceeds from the sale of these items will support future grants to Rehoming Program participants. Artemis Fine Arts info@artemisfinearts.com
Featuring works of art from the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a non-profit focused on promoting Indigenous Arts globally. All proceeds from the sale of these items will support future grants to Rehoming Program participants. Artemis Fine Arts info@artemisfinearts.com
View Full Catalog (452)
- Lot Description
West Africa, Ghana, Akan culture, Aowin subgroup, ca. mid-20th century CE. A finely carved and lacquered wooden female figure of the Aowin people, standing in a poised and self-assured stance, her bare chest adorned with a necklace of suspended gold-toned beads and a metal Catholic medallion depicting the Madonna and Child. The figure's coiffure is rendered in the traditional Aowin braided style, parted at the center and swept upward into ridged projections that crown the head with architectural elegance. Her arched brows, slightly inclined head, and closed, contemplative eyes lend the work a serene, almost otherworldly presence. The rounded form of the torso contrasts with the elongated limbs, which are separately carved and attached at the shoulders with iron nails - a distinctive and uncommon feature also seen in the separately carved feet and sandals. The lustrous black patina, likely the result of repeated libations and ritual handling, carries subtle traces of added materials from shrine use. Size: 5.7" W x 14.5" H (14.5 cm x 36.8 cm)
While the exact function of such figures is uncertain, they are often associated with shrines, where they may serve as intermediaries between the living and spiritual realms. This example is particularly notable for its blending of traditional Akan sculptural form with foreign religious iconography - the Catholic medallion - seamlessly integrated without altering the figure's indigenous symbolic and stylistic vocabulary. The result is a vivid testament to the adaptability of Aowin art, its ability to absorb and reinterpret external elements while retaining the essence of its cultural identity.
Exhibited: 2002, October 3 to December 15, "Selections from the Ralph T. Coe Collection of African Art." Allen Memorial Museum, Oberlin College. Oberlin, Ohio.
Provenance: Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
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#196216Proper left arm has been reattached with one new nail and other missing. Some light scratches, nicks, and abrasions. Otherwise, nice remaining detail and lustrous lacquer with light patina.Condition
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