Drum (Fante), c. 1940.
Ghana.
Wood, height: 87 cm.
Private collection, Paris.
Seated on the back of a lion, while the feet of the drum rest atop a much
smaller element, we have this anthropomorphic female. Used at a number of
puberty celebrations, marriages, and funerals, this drum once belonged to a
popular Akan band. As the lead drum, it served as the visual and musical focus
of the group.
Referred to as the Queen Mother of the ensemble, these elaborately carved
principal drums are invariably female. Akan royal notions ascribe heavily to the
idea of seated art, which is visible here. In the relief carving around the torso,
both the importance of the drum and band that once owned it is emphasised.
The conventionalised oral literature of the Akan are illustrated as distinctive
motifs, most of which make reference to the daily life of the Fante.