Object Details
- Asante artist
- Label Text
- Among the Asante and neighboring peoples, voluntary music associations provide entertainment for a variety of occasions, including weddings, funerals and festivals. Many of the motifs on his drums relate to Asante proverbs and refer to the qualities the society seeks in its members or to the society's relationship to the town. For example, the motif of the crescent moon and star states that while the star is more reliable, the changeable moon is brighter; musical fashions change like the moon.
- On the front between the fastenings for the drumhead is the British coat of arms with the lion and the unicorn. The two circular recessed areas below the breasts could have held photographs, perhaps of British or local royalty.
- Description
- Wood drum with projecting female breasts, low relief carvings of animals and people on chip carved (triangles) background, rampant unicorn and lion over crown, and circular indentation under the breasts.
- Provenance
- Mr. and Mrs. Perry Linder, Chevy Chase, Maryland, -- to 1980
- Exhibition History
- The Stranger Among Us, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., March 24-September 7, 1982
- Content Statement
- As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
- Image Requests
- High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
- Credit Line
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Perry Linder
- Early to mid-20th century
- Object number
- 80-19-1
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- Sculpture
- Medium
- Wood, hide, plant fiber, pigment
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 102.6 x 68.9 x 47.9 cm (40 3/8 x 27 1/8 x 18 7/8 in.)
- Geography
- Ghana
- See more items in
- National Museum of African Art Collection
- National Museum of African Art
- Topic
- crocodile
- Leadership
- turtle
- weapon
- spider
- gameboard
- crescent
- star
- sankofa
- male
- Record ID
- nmafa_80-19-1
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys79cab5eee-4b9a-448f-8353-dce3ff206ac8
