Turtles and Frogs
Prestige object (tortoise). Akan, Côte d'lvoire. Wood, covered with gold foil. L 4.5" Akan proverbs associated with tortoises: "The tortoise says haste is a good thing and deliberation is also a good thing.", "When you go to the village of the tortoise and it eatsearth, you eat some too.", "The highly conventionalized proverb associated with tortoises and snails is, "if it were only for the snail and the tortoise, the gun would not fire in the forest." -Both are valued foods but are collected by hand and not hunted with firearms. Because of this the snail and the tortoise are seen as peaceful. This tortoise may represent attributes with royal associations. From the estate of René David (1928-2015), Zurich. Exhibited: Musée International du Golfe de Guinée, Togo (2005-2011)
“Okyeame poma” (linguist/orator’s staff). Wood, gold foil. Ghana. 59 inches H. “Magnificent gold-covered staffs like this one are carried by high-ranking officials within the courts of Akan chiefs in an area of West Africa once known as the Gold Coast. Because they are a society that originally had no written tradition, the Akan peoples place an enormous emphasis on speech. The spoken word, in the form of axioms and stories, is the repository of Akan custom and values, and a complete mastery of proverbial lore, combined with an eloquent and insightful way of conveying it, is considered the mark of intellect of highly esteemed individuals. Those who possess this knowledge and an articulate command of language may be appointed as court linguists, the most important nonroyal court officials.” - metmuseum. The image is of a snake devouring a frog. “It’s a common theme in Asante art and often represents the proverb: "Every part of the frog belongs to the snake." This is based on the observation that snakes swallow their prey whole, and the proverb is used to describe dominant subservient relationships.”-D.Ross The snake triumphs through patience and what is good for the frog is ultimately good for the snake or what is good for the chief’s subjects, is good for the chief. EX estate of Dr. David Y Solomon, of NYC
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.
Gold weight of a turtle., Ghana. x Collection of Michael von Schenck (1931), Basel. 1980-1983 Swiss Ambassador in Ghana, ex Swiss private collection, Ticino.
nother colossal Asante gold chief’s ring “mpetea” with the image of a chameleon, 2 3/8” H x 3 3/4” L. Proverb: “The chameleon can only change the color of the clothes he is wearing, not those in his box,” meaning that one can deal only with the immediate environment, only with the problems at hand. This is a warning against trying to exceed one’s own abilities. Ex collection of Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao and Dr. Nii S. Quao. Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao was the African Union’s Ambassador to the United States.
