Twin Figures (Akua'ba)

early 20th century

African Art

On view, 1st floor, African Art

An Asante woman who cannot conceive a child may be advised by a priest to commission a sculptor to carve a small wooden doll such as this one; the doll is known as Akua’ba, or “Akua’s child.” The woman cares for the doll as if it were her child, which is meant to help her become pregnant. Families also keep Akua’ba as memorials to a deceased child or children. The figures may become family heirlooms, appreciated not only for their spiritual efficacy but also as beautiful images that call to mind a loved one. The flat, rounded heads of the dolls refer to Asante ideals of beauty, and the backs of the heads are decorated with a pattern of incised lines.

Medium

Wood, glass beads, string, and pigment

Dimensions

14 × 4 3/4 × 1 3/4 in. (35.56 × 12.07 × 4.45 cm)

Credit Line

Charles B. Benenson, B.A. 1933, Collection

Accession Number

2006.51.44

Geography

Ghana

Culture

Fante

Period

20th century

Classification

Sculpture

Disclaimer

Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of records is ongoing.

Provenance
Lipkin Gallery, Inc. (Morton Lipkin), Phoenix, to Dec. 13, 1982; Charles B. Benenson Collection, Greenwich, Conn 1982–2004; Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn.
Bibliography
  • Frederick John Lamp, Amanda Maples, and Laura M. Smalligan, Accumulating Histories: African Art from the Charles B. Benenson Collection at the Yale University Art Gallery (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 2012), 102, ill.
  • "Acquisitions, July 1, 2005–June 30, 2006," Yale University Art Gallery Bulletin (2006): 222.
Object copyright
Copyright Undetermined
Additional information

Object/Work type

sculpture

Subject

twins

Technical metadata and APIs

IIIF

Open in Mirador

View IIIF manifest

The International Image Interoperability Framework, or IIIF, is an open standard for delivering high-quality, attributed digital objects online at scale. Visit iiif.io to learn more

Linked Art

API response for this object

Linked Art is a Community working together to create a shared Model based on Linked Open Data to describe Art.