Af1900,0427.1

Resonance Series

Acrylic on Canvas

37 X 47 Inches

Executed in 2024

Description

Ceremonial cap (denkyemkye); made of antelope hide with a scalloped fringe and long cheek straps on either side. Straps have additional pieces of hide attached to the ends which have long tufts of antelope fur sewn to them. Cap, flaps and fringe have twenty ornaments added to their exterior surfaces arranged symmetrically in groups. All have wood cores which are covered with sheet gold held in place by thin gold wire staples. The ornaments on the cap consist of: 8 model lower human jaw-bones (abogye); 3 heraldic-style lions mounted on rectangular plinths (4th is missing); 4 miniature slain enemy heads mounted on rectangular plaques (ntoa); 2 antelope or bush cow horns; 1 finial in the form of a pineapple.

Cheek straps are decorated in similar fashion with the following ornaments: 1 gold plated cockle shell (adam); 1 natural red sea-shell (adam); 1 model of lower human jaw-bone (abogye). Scalloped sides of flaps and fringe are ornamented with numerous small hollow lost wax cast gold and silver crotal bells (donnomma).

Interior of cap lined with yellow silk with amulets (safi) attached: one red silk wrapped amulet attached to base of cap at the back of the head; 2 black velvet wrapped amulets situated either side of the top of the cap; 2 amulets bound in white cotton thread, the smaller attached to the top of the larger, which is fixed to the underside of the apex of the cap.