A Akan Royal Pendant Lot n° 20

Courtly jewelry pendant, crab Akan, Ghana / Côte d'Ivoire Ohne Sockel / without base Gold alloy in low fineness. H 6 cm. W 8 cm. Provenance: - Galerie Walu, Basel. - Hammer Auction 109, 27.01.2023, Lot 96 (unpaid & cancelled / unpaid & cancelled). The precious metal of the former "Gold Coast" of Africa was for centuries the interest and desire of African and European merchants. Through trade, powerful states rose, whose wealth and skill in gold processing became a legend. Thus, at the royal courts of the Akan, masterful pieces of jewelry were created using highly developed manufacturing processes, especially the lost-wax casting process. Even today, gold jewelry serves as a sign of rank and affiliation at self-portraying festivities of the royal families. The strong expressiveness of these unique pieces reflects the rich metaphors of the Akan and is based on the tradition of the highly esteemed art of oratory. The depicted motifs, here an abstracted crab, always refer to persons, animals or objects that allegorically stand for praiseworthy qualities and aphorisms. Further reading: Ross, Doran and Eisner, Georg (2008). The Gold of the Akan. Museum Liaunig. Neuhaus: Museumsverwaltung GmbH. CHF 1 000 / 2 000 EUR 1 000 / 2 000