Akan Commemorative Head, Africa
![front view of Akan Commemorative Head from the Twifo-Hemang people, South Central Ghana, Africa. Made of terracotta](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d2cf732c304d00001b4da4a/1663189938065-FSECLD7H0T1NKSST0GUA/akan-commemorative-head-ghana-african-sculpture-morgan-oaks-sf-ca-1.jpg)
![Akan-Head-1065asq2.jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d2cf732c304d00001b4da4a/1716495019695-UPARPCE6C71B9KB8WBSG/Akan-Head-1065asq2.jpg)
![front side view of Akan Commemorative Head from the Twifo-Hemang people, South Central Ghana, Africa. Made of terracotta](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d2cf732c304d00001b4da4a/1663189938113-07F3ZJ6NY875U9BH64PF/akan-commemorative-head-ghana-african-sculpture-morgan-oaks-sf-ca-2.jpg)
![front side view of Akan Commemorative Head from the Twifo-Hemang people, South Central Ghana, Africa. Made of terracotta](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d2cf732c304d00001b4da4a/1663189938450-IF5XGVLPMZST5BCPLRBJ/akan-commemorative-head-ghana-african-sculpture-morgan-oaks-sf-ca-3.jpg)
![back side of Akan Commemorative Head from the Twifo-Hemang people, South Central Ghana, Africa. Made of terracotta](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d2cf732c304d00001b4da4a/1663189938436-06PHA8V4BBFSVZY2AGHD/akan-commemorative-head-ghana-african-sculpture-morgan-oaks-sf-ca-4.jpg)
![side view of Akan Commemorative Head from the Twifo-Hemang people, South Central Ghana, Africa. Made of terracotta](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d2cf732c304d00001b4da4a/1663189938434-ULT4ACI95TKVBZPY5EJN/akan-commemorative-head-ghana-african-sculpture-morgan-oaks-sf-ca-5.jpg)
![close up detail shot of face on Akan Commemorative Head from the Twifo-Hemang people, South Central Ghana, Africa. Made of terracotta](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d2cf732c304d00001b4da4a/1663189938745-Y97WPRCQRHSAG3MC5X13/akan-commemorative-head-ghana-african-sculpture-morgan-oaks-sf-ca-6.jpg)
Akan Commemorative Head, Africa
Twifo-Hemang people, South Central Ghana
17th - 18th century
Terracotta
3.5 x 2.5 in. / 9 x 6 cm
Height on custom display stand: 5.75 in. / 15 cm
A clay head in the classic Twifo-Hemang style. Having a smooth shaved head with a patch of hair at the crown, a broad forehead, semicircular eyebrows, closed eyes, a naturalistic nose, and a small mouth.
This type of sculpture was a representation of an ancestor and viewed as a substitute for the deceased. It was created for the formal funeral which sometimes took place months after the actual burial. Even though this was a commemorative rendition of the deceased, considered a portrait, it is a stylized resemblance of the departed, with a few specific aspects such as hairstyle, pierced ears, or a beard.
Domestic shipping included. International shipping quoted separately.