Cast using the lost-wax method, gold objects are the only Baule art forms associated with ancestral spirits. The Baule are originally part of a breakaway group of the Akan people from Ghana. Usually stored in suitcases or pots, a collection of gold adornments (aja) are displayed on important occasions such as funerals. They are laid out around the corpse before burial as a sign of respect and their family’s wealth. Faces such as this pendant are said to be idealized portraits of friends or lovers. This depiction of a man has a beard and elaborately styled hair.
We present today’s masterpiece thanks to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Have a great weekend!
P.S. The stylized motif of a face was popular among many cultures; here you can read about the great mystery of the Sanxingdui masks from Asia.
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7.6 x 5 cm
Cleveland Museum of Art
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