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Catalog Data

Maker:
Asante artist  Search this
Medium:
Wood, pigment, glass beads, fiber, nails
Dimensions:
H x W x D: 56.5 x 15.7 x 24.5 cm (22 1/4 x 6 3/16 x 9 5/8 in.)
Type:
Figure
Geography:
Ashanti Region, Ghana
Date:
Late 19th to-mid 20th century
Label Text:
Since the Asante trace their lineage through their mothers, queen mothers hold a particularly important position within the royal hierarchy. The elevated status of this carved figure is bolstered by her ornate chair. Known as an asipim, its name means "I stand firm" and refers both to the chair's sturdy construction and to the stability of the ruler. The appearance of this queen mother, with a smooth high forehead and balanced features, is consistent with Asante ideals of beauty.
Description:
Seated female figure with lobed coiffure, scarification marks on face and neck, elongated cylindrical torso and sandaled feet resting on a foot stool. She holds a nursing child on her left knee. The child is carved with articulated arms and is adorned with a strand of beads, joined with a metal ring, that is suspended around the neck. The darkened coloration of the figures stands in marked contrast to the light brown wood of the ornately carved high-back chair that is embellished with incised linear and circular patterns and with wood protuberances that are attached to the sides and slats of the chair with metal nails.
Provenance:
Irwin and Marcia Hersey, New York, ca. 1970 to 1987
Mr. and Mrs. Arnold J. Alderman, New Haven, Connecticut, 1987 to 2001
Exhibition History:
Pavilion: A New Look, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., October 9, 2019–ongoing
The Power of Gold: Asante Royal Regalia from Ghana, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas, April 15 to August 12, 2018
Conversations: African and African American Artworks in Dialogue - From the Collections of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and Camille O. and William H. Cosby, Jr., National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, November 7, 2014-January 24, 2016
African Mosaic: Selections from the Permanent Collection, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., November 19, 2013–August 12, 2019 (deinstalled October 15, 2014)
African Mosaic: Celebrating a Decade of Collecting, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., November 19, 2010-November 13, 2014
Life Objects: Rites of Passage in African Art, Princeton University Art Museum, September 19, 2009-January 24, 2010
BIG/small, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., January 17-July 23, 2006
Icons: Ideals and Power in the Art of Africa, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., October 25, 1989-September 3, 1990
C.W. Post Art Gallery, New York, 1980
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, 1978
Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, Dallas, 1978
The Arts of Ghana, Frederick S. Wright Gallery, University of California, Los Angeles, 1977
Ithaca College Museum, Ithaca, NY, 1969
Published References:
Cole, Herbert M. 1989. Icons: Ideals and Power in the Art of Africa. Washington, D.C. and London: Smithsonian Institution Press for the National Museum of African Art, pp. 16-17, no. 9.
Cole, Herbert M. and Doran H. Ross. 1977. The Arts of Ghana. Los Angeles: The Regents of the University of California, pp. 109-111, pl. XI.
Kreamer, Christine Mullen and Adrienne L. Childs (eds). 2014. Conversations: African and African American Artworks in Dialogue from the Collections of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and Camille O. and William H. Cosby, Jr. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, p. 79, pl. 18.
National Museum of African Art. 2010. African Mosaic: Celebrating a Decade of Collecting. Exhibition card. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, no. 9 (detail).
Visoná, Monica Blackmun, Robin Poyner, Herbert M. Cole and Michael D. Harris. 2001. A History of Art in Africa. New York: Harry N. Abrams, p. 213, no. 7-24.
Visoná, Monica Blackmun, Robin Poyner and Herbert M. Cole. 2008. A History of Art in Africa. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, p. 213, no. 7-20.
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/
Topic:
Shrine/Altar  Search this
mother and child  Search this
furniture  Search this
male  Search this
Credit Line:
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Arnold J. Alderman
Object number:
2001-22-1
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
National Museum of African Art Collection
On View:
NMAfA, Pavilion Gallery
Data Source:
National Museum of African Art
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys7e533d7fc-8376-4c2a-9a95-e822b73aa710
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmafa_2001-22-1