2009 Auction Items
This year's items include masks and sculptures from a diverse sampling of West African peoples, including the Ashanti, Guro, Baule, Bobo, Yoruba, Bamileke, Fra Fra, Dogon, Fanti, and Lobi. Authentic items like these have become notably difficult to find in recent years due to their popularity with foreign collectors.
There are three Kente cloths, the traditional textiles of royalty in Western Africa, from both the Ashanti and Ewe (ay-way) peoples. In addition, this winter Anansi founder, Kathryn Roe, made a friendship with a Ewe family that weave traditional Kente clothes and have provided pattern samples.
New items to be posted soon include: masks, sculptures, paintings by Ato Fabil Annan, and mudcloths.
Masks
In West Africa the significance of a mask is not limited to the object itself. Instead, the indentity of the piece extends to the costume and dance that it is traditionally combined with in order to depict a specific character. Storytelling and dance are melded together in an oral tradition that teaches children about culture, history, and morals.
As society shifts and tourism provides an increasing market to carvers, it becomes more difficult to find masks or sculptures in Africa that have been made for their traditional purposes.
Mali Mask — $40 This primative mask is of unconfirmed origin, but stylistically it is most likely from Mali. |
Guro Mask — Reserved for May 16 This lovely mask, donated to this auction from the collection of Kathryn Roe, commemorates a famous Guro dancer's accomplished daughter. When she died young her father commissioned the first of this style of mask. They are worn only by the very best dancers.
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Red Baule Mask — Reserved for May 16 This red Baule mask is a good example of a Baule entertainment mask. The proper aesthetics of Baule sculpture include smooth patina, balanced proportion, clear lines and well rounded asymmetry. |
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Sculptures
In the Western tradition, sculpture is the language of form within space designed to evoke a feeling or raise a question. In contrast, the traditional sculpture of West Africa is made for a specific function that can be religious or social. Sculpture and masks alike conform to the style of the ethnic group to which they belong.
The African forms shown here exist within a cultural context but it is not necessary to know their often intricate mythology or story to appreciate the beauty of their line and be curious to move around them in space and wonder what they mean.
Bamileke Sculptures — Reserved for May 16 These twin Bamileke sculptures, from the Grasslands of northern Cameroon, are elegantly decorated using the traditional beading technique. The Bamileke resisted slave raids with suicide or rebellion. |
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Shango Scepter — $50 This scepter was most likely used by a diviner or a dignitary. The designs on this scepter have some meanings related to the status of the owner and are ritually significant among the Yoruba. |
Yoruba Oko Woman — $100 This Nigerian figurine depicts Oko, a Yoruba orisha, or deity, associated with farming. The sculpture of a woman with a bowl symbolizes the fertility of the land.
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Fanti Woman — $100 The Fanti have matrilinear lineages and they are known best for their fertility dolls and maternity figures. Their shrine sculptures are almost always female. The standing female icon common in West African sculpture has various interpretations. In this example poise, dignity, and stability are the keynotes.
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Fra Fra Flute — $35 Large sculptural art from the Fra Fra people of northern Ghana are rare, but they excel at lovely small pieces like this. Fra Fra flutes are extremely popular for their luscious surfaces and minimalist qualities.
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Kente Cloths
Kente is a Ghanaian textile that is traditionally linked with royalty, especially among the Ashanti and the Ewe peoples. Kente is woven as similar sized narrow strips, which are joined to form a large piece of cloth.
These beautiful fabrics were wrapped and draped into the ceremonial garb of the chieftains and are still seen and worn for state and other important functions around the world. Today both men and women wear Kente cloths at very special occasions or celebrations.
Blue Ashanti Kente Cloth — $330 |
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Teal Ewe Kente Cloth — $40 |
Ashanti Kente Cloth — $110 |
Ewe Kente Patterns
Below are samples of the patterns that are sewn together to make Kente cloths. Thanks to a new relationship between Anansi and a family business of traditional Ewe weavers, these samples can be selected and ordered as custom-produced Kente cloths. To order, please send an email including the pattern number and desired length and width.
Orders placed this spring will be collected from the Ewe family in Ghana and brought to Washington in the fall. The 4"x5' wide sample strips shown below can be purchased for $10 (pattern #1 is 4"x13' priced at $25).
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