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Finial from a Dance Staff for Eshu Elegba (Oga Elegba),

Barber Shop Sign,

Barber Shop Sign,

Barber Shop Sign,

Counselor’s staff (Okyeame Poma),

Gold leaf-covered sculptures surmounting staffs such as this one embody proverbs that communicate ideas about wisdom. Counselors to Akan kings and chiefs carry resplendent gold staffs on public occasions to send silent messages to their audiences. The imagery of this finial sculpture relates to proverbs associated with good leadership. A focused facial expression animates the […]

Barber Shop Sign,

Ntan Drum,

Untitled Sketchbook,

Included in this small sketchbook is a drawing of a nineteenth-century Kongo sculpture from the Yombe region of central Africa, in the collection of the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian. This drawing was made during the artist’s 1993 visit to Washington, D.C., where he made sketches and notes on numerous artworks ranging from ancient […]

Olojufoforo Headdress,

Blacksmith’s Poker (Iwana Ogun),