African Akan Culture 18K Gold Foil & Wood Bird Finial for Staff

West Africa, Ghana, Akan peoples. A carved wood and gold foil finial in the form of a bird perched on a barrel, made to top the staff of an okyeame, the linguist who speaks for a chief. The wood is covered in thin pressed gold foil, which is 76% gold and 15% silver, equivalent to more than 18 karat. Linguist staff finials often illustrate proverbs about leadership and wisdom. Among the Akan, and especially the Asante, gold is associated with the sun and royal authority, and gold-covered regalia displays the wealth and status of a chief's court. A socket on the underside would have fit this onto a lengthy wood staff that would probably been covered in gold foil as well. At Akan courts, the okyeame (the chief's spokesman, often called the linguist) carried a staff topped with a gold-covered carved finial. A bird might stand for a saying about vigilance or foresight, or about the bond between a ruler and his people. Its exact meaning depended on the court that commissioned it. Covering carved wood with hammered gold foil let these objects display the gold that was central to Akan royal authority without the cost of solid metal. Item # 205742

Estimation:€445.99

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