H x W x D: 7.8 x 9 x 11.4 cm (3 1/16 x 3 9/16 x 4 1/2 in.)
Type:
Sculpture
Geography:
Ghana
Date:
Late 20th century
Label Text:
Adinkra stamps are made of dried gourd that has been cut and shaped into designs. The stamp is dipped into a thick dye made of boiled tree bark, iron slag, and water. A cloth is usually stamped with several adinkra signs arranged in grid-like registers and bordered by parallel lines.
The star recalls a proverb emphasizing the importance of faith and reliance on others: “Like the star, the child of the Supreme Being, I rest with God and do not depend upon myself [alone].”
Description:
Adinkra stamp in the shape of a square with an eight-pointed star at the center and three lines across each corner.
Provenance:
Roy and Brigitta Mitchell, Washington, D.C., -- to 2010
Exhibition History:
Visionary: Viewpoints on Africa's Arts, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., November 4, 2017-ongoing
African Cosmos: Stellar Arts, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., June 20-December 9, 2012; Newark Museum, February 26-August 11, 2013; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, August 23-November 30, 2014; Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University, Atlanta, January 31-June 21, 2015 (exhibited at NMAfA , Newark Museum and Carlos Museum)
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