19th C. Ghana Akan Brass Kuduo Footed Vessel with Interlace Band

West Africa, Ghana, Akan culture. A footed brass ceremonial vessel known as a kuduo. The deep, rounded bowl rises from a flared pedestal foot to an everted lip. Two raised collars divide the body into decorated registers. Close vertical rows of linear and stippled marks run above and below a central band of braided guilloche that loops continuously around the bowl. This bowl is weathered with old repairs, and a rich patina. Among the Akan, vessels of this type served as prestige containers for gold dust and other valuables, and kuduo were also placed in shrines and burials. "Kuduo" is the Akan name for cast brass containers made from at least the 15th century onward. They developed partly in response to Mamluk and other Islamic brass vessels that reached the forest kingdoms by trans-Saharan trade. Interlace bands like the one on this vessel are often traced back to those imported models, which local smiths adapted into their own decorative vocabulary. Kuduo were associated with wealth and with the owner's spiritual well-being, and in the Asante court they could serve in rites honoring the soul (kra). They also appear in burials of high-ranking people. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. Item # 205739

Estimate:$500

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