Nsodie

The Memorial Head or Nsodie is a type of 17th to 18th century ceramic portrait sculpture of the Akan peoples, believed to have been created by women artists depicting royal personages. They are represented in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art[1][2] and elsewhere.

Memorial Head
nsodie
Year17th century
LocationMetropolitan Museum of Art
Accession No.1978.412.563 Edit this on Wikidata
IdentifiersThe Met object ID: 311024

Early history and creation

The Memorial Head (Nsodie) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art was created in the 17th–mid-18th century. It was found in Ghana, Twifo-Heman traditional area from the Akan peoples. These heads were commissioned by the Akan peoples to memorialize royal personages before death. It was thought that elderly women artists fulfilled these commissions.[3] These heads were placed in memorial groves called asensie, or “place of the pots,”where prayers, libations and offerings could be offered. [4][5]

Description and interpretation

The work depicts a human head and is made of terra cotta. There is a difference of opinion as to whether the heads depicted specific priests, chiefs, or royal personages or if they were commemorative effigies embodying the wisdom, experience and knowledge of important people. The heads are thought to stylize particular features of a personage and are not a realistic depiction.[6]

References
  1. "Memorial Head (Nsodie)". Metropolitan Museum of Art.
  2. Vogel, Susan Mullin (1981). For Spirits and Kings: African Art from the Paul and Ruth Tishman Collection. Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN 978-0-87099-267-4.
  3. "Nsodia (Funerary Portrait Head): Twifo Hemang". www.imodara.com. 11 March 2015. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  4. Pencak, William (February 2000). Povey, Thomas (late 1600s–early 1700s), British colonial official. American National Biography Online. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0101165.
  5. "Brooklyn Museum". www.brooklynmuseum.org. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  6. "Nsodia (Funerary Portrait Head): Twifo Hemang". www.imodara.com. 11 March 2015. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.