Vintage Mid Century Replica Of Nsodie Akan Funerary Head From Ghana / Shrine

Introducing a Vintage Mid Century Replica Of Nsodie Akan Funerary Head From Ghana. A museum quality replica, in excellent vintage condition with little to no signs of wear. Measures 8" tall by 4 1/2" wide Aventurier features lovingly curated true vintage, dedicated to the adventurous. Based in beautiful Eugene, Oregon. Since 2013. This elegant terracotta head is a memorial portrait (nsodie) of an Akan ruler from present-day southern Ghana or southeastern Côte d'Ivoire. It is an idealized representation whose serene expression, well-balanced features, and striated neck suggest the positive qualities such rulers are expected to embody. Created posthumously, royal images like this one were placed with the portraits of previous rulers in sacred areas within the cemetery called asensie. Generally, each royal figure was accompanied by sculptures of courtiers and servants, perhaps to provide aid and comfort to the deceased in the afterlife. Together, they formed sculptural assemblages that honored and preserved the memory of these respected individuals and the chiefly lineages of which they were part. At certain times of the year, the asensie was the focus of prayers, libations, and other offerings that ensured the continuing support and protection of the ancestors. Sculptures associated with this tradition, which dates to at least the seventeenth century, were produced in a wide variety of regional styles. Set on a spherical head, the sensitive mouth, aquiline nose, hooded eye