An Asante Ring, Scorpion Lot n° 15

Royal finger ring, scorpion Asante, Ghana Ohne Sockel / without base Gold alloy with a finished gilding in high fineness. H 5 cm. L 4,5 cm. Provenance: - Galerie Walu, Zurich (before 1986). - Fred (1933-2021) and Ilse (1934-2021) Mayer, Zurich. - Hammer Auctions, Basel (auction 96, 11.03.2022, lot 29). - Swiss private collection, Neuchâtel. The valuable 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 up whose wealth and skill in gold processing became legend. Thus, masterful pieces of jewelry were created at the local royal courts, many of which were made using the lost-wax casting process. Even today, gold jewelry serves as a sign of rank and affiliation of the royal families. The strong expressiveness of these unique pieces reflects the rich metaphors of the Asante and is based on the tradition of the highly esteemed art of oratory. The depicted motifs always refer to persons, animals or objects, which allegorically stand for praiseworthy qualities and aphorisms. The proverb "When the brown scorpion stings a mother's child, the pain lasts until the hearth is cold" certainly fits here. Further reading: Ross, Doran and Eisner, Georg (2008). The gold of the Akan. Museum Liaunig. Neuhaus: Museumsverwaltung GmbH. CHF 400 / 600