Fante
Ghana
Coastal West Africa
Female Figure (Akua'ba)
INV-1443
Fante
Ghana
Coastal West AfricaMid–19th or early 20th century
Female Figure (Akua'ba)
Fante Ghana Coastal West Africa →fanteArts of Africaafrican ArtCoastal West Africasculpturewood
Date
Mid–19th or early 20th century
Medium
Wood, glass beads, shell, copper alloy, and thread
Dimensions
36.9 × 8 × 8.9 cm (14 1/2 × 3 1/8 × 3 1/2 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
O. Renard Goltra Fund
Among the Fante and related peoples the desire for children is expressed through rituals that may include the fabrication of a stylized figure called akua’ba. Because women are highly valued in Fante society for their procreative powers, female figures are favored over male ones. Adorned with beaded necklaces, waistbands, and anklets, and sporting a horned hairstyle that was fashionable in the 19th and early 20th centuries, this example’s features reflect local ideals of physical beauty.
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