Bronze Akan masks such as this one would be
hung at important religious ceremonies, such as
a circumcision or a right of passage. The mask
would serve as a place for ancient spirits to
reside in- an honored seat from which an
ancestor or god could view the festivities and
enjoy the company of the Akan tribes people.
And what shade wouldn’t feel at home in the
welcoming visage that the artist has captured in
bronze? The placid mouth is parted- so that if
perhaps the spirit wishes to impart some words
of encouragement, advice, or simply compliment
the dancers and musicians, it will be able. The
broad flat nose and gentle small eyes give the
piece a sense of placidity and brusque kindness.
Most intricate and beautiful are the braids of hair
erupting across the scalp and the meticulously
bordered and beautifully wrought goatee. It is
altogether a wonderfully human and evocative
presence that even in our scientific world, makes
us wonder what lies behind the hollow eyes- and
what secrets just beneath our range of hearing,
are being whispered.
- (SP.211)
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