Crocodiles
Akan crocodile pendant. Cast gold. 13.30cm. Côte D’Ivoire/Ghana. From the estate of Olga Hirshhorn
Royal court pendant of a crocodile. Akan, Cast gold alloy. 18cm (7.08 inches). Crocodiles are popular Akan subjects for sword ornaments (abosodeɛ). A royal appellation “Dɛnkyɛm niampa a ɛduru afeɛ a ɔmene boɔ”— “The great crocodile that swallows a stone every year. Gallery Walu, Zurich, Estate of René David (1928-2015), Zurich. Exhibited: Musée International du Golfe de Guinée, Togo (2005-2011)
Asante sword ornament (abɔsodeɛ), wood, gold foil, Ghana, 12.5” L. A crocodile is one of the most common images found on the state swords of the Asante paramountcies. “A crocodile alone or with a mudfish in its mouth is found at five Asante paramountcies and is given several interpretations. The crocodile at Mampon represents a praise name for the king, “The great crocodile that swallows a stone every year.” Stone is a metaphor for “bullet” and refers to the Mamponhene’s position as a leader of one of the Asante armies. Kyerematen reports that the crocodile on one of the Asantehene’s swords originated with Asantehene Osei Kwadwo (r.1764-177) and represents the “totemic” animal of his paternal (ntɔrc) kin group (1961,13). At Kumawu the crocodile with a mudfish in its mouth as well as a second mudfish, elicits the proverb “when the mudfish swallows anything, it does so for its master,” meaning that the chief automatically benefits from the success of his subjects. (The predatory nature of the crocodile-mudfish relationship is ignored here.) for the combined motif at Kumawu, Quarcoo records a different meaning, “If that species of fish comes from the river to tell you that the crocodile is dead, there is no need to argue about it,” indicating that people who live together know each other’s behavior (1975,16). Yet another interpretation of this image was given at Edweso, “If the crocodile catches the mudfish, it does not deal leniently with it, a reference to the extreme power of both chief and state. This multiplicity of meanings attached to one motif is common in abɔsodeɛ iconography, as in most Akan symbolism. “ - Doran Ross
Lidded container, "kuduo" Asante, Ghana. Brass. H 23 cm. Kuduo vessels originally came from northern regions and found their way into the Akan culture through the earliest trade relations, where they served various functions, including rituals, as valuable status symbols. Provenance: Galerie Walu, Zurich. Switzerland (1993) Published: Lüthi, Werner & David, Jean (2009). Exhibition catalog: Helvetisches Goldmuseum Burgdorf. Gold in West African art. Zurich: Walu Gallery, page 46. Exhibited: Helvetian Gold Museum, Burgdorf (2009).
Akan Chief's ring "mpetea" of two crocodiles - Ghana. gold/silver alloy, 1.8 inch x 1.8 inch; D: 0.8 inch. The image displayed is of two crocodiles which share the same stomach. The proverb behind this image is “they share the same stomach, yet they fight for food.” It signifies that unity is strength and that infighting is harmful to all who engage in it. Provenance: Zemanek-Münster, Würzburg, Germany. Roland Hartmann, St. Gallen, Switzerland.
A goldweight in the form of the double crocodile which shares a single stomach.
Akan double-edged ceremonial sword, "afena", Côte d'Ivoire. Wood, covered with gold foil, iron. H 57 cm. Provenance: Estate of René David (1928-2015), Zurich. Exhibited: Musée International du Golfe de Guinée, Togo (2005-2011).
Akan state swords like this one are more ceremonial and symbolic of an instrument of power and are always carried by the “blade”. The sword blade here depicts imagery of wisdom knots, crocodiles, and other Akan symbols. The sculptural hilt is a highly realistic carving of a tortoise on top of a giant snail shell connected by a wisdom knot. This image combination is often seen in “mptea” or royal chief rings with a snail shell and a rifle on top of a tortoise shell. One proverb for this imagery is “If it were only for the snail and the tortoise, the gun would not fire in the forest.” The wood hilt has a very aged patina and at one point would have been completely covered with thick gold foil and gold staples which still covers various small sections such as the tortoise’s head. There are many gold staples still left in the wood but the majority have been removed and probably recycled into newer designs or sold for gold value. The wood still bears the holes of the small gold staples used to attach the gold sheet. Another carving would have been on top of the tortoise and is now broken off and missing- possibly a rifle. The hilt is removable from the blade so I chose to display this on a separate base for now due to size restraints. This sword came from the estate of the NYC artist Philip Martin Pearlstein (1924-2022). Pearlstein was a modernist portrait and still life painter that went to school at the Carnegie Institute and moved to NYC and shared an apartment together with his friend and fellow student, Andy Warhol. His works are in most major collections and museums.