An ancient terracotta head, characteristic of the Adanse-Fomena style, honoring the memory of a high-ranking personality. Described as early as 1602 by Pieter de Marees, these works were displayed near a sacred site: "(...) each of the nobles is represented from life by a clay model, painted and then placed, one beside the other, around the tomb. Their graves are thus like a house, laid out as if they were still alive" (De Marees, Description and Historical Account of the Gold Kingdom of Guinea (1602), 1987, p. 184-185). Commonly referred to as "portraits", these heads were all sculpted by female artists. Within the corpus, this work stands out for its presence and the modelling of its face, and above all its sublime, highly elaborate hairstyle composed entirely of small curls. See the Akan head from the former Baudouin de Grunne collection in the Musée Dapper collections for a comparable head (Dapper, 2003, p. 133). Akan, Ghana Earthenware with mica inclusions, restoration (broken/glued and probably reworked) particularly in the lower part of the face, as shown in the catalog, very fine brown earthenware slip. H. 33 cm Provenance : Pierre Dartevelle, Brussels Marc Blanpain Collection, Brussels, acquired 2007 Publications and exhibitions: Giquello, Paris, Collection Blanpain, December 6, 2024, no. 17