LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2007 June African & Oceanic Art Auction #645  / 

48088

Fante (Ghana)Asafo FlagCloth, pieced and appliqu

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Ethnographic Start Price:1,250.00 USD Estimated At:2,500.00 - 3,500.00 USD
Fante (Ghana)Asafo FlagCloth, pieced and appliqu
<B>Fante (Ghana)</B></I><BR>Asafo Flag<BR>Cloth, pieced and appliquéd<BR>Height: 36 inches Width: 69 ¾ inches<BR><BR>These flags “adorn villages and towns at the time of festivals and funerals. . . (They were developed by) the warrior groups of the Fante, known as 'Asafo'. As European military organization was adopted, so the identity of an Asafo company was developed and refined by way of new uniforms, flags and banners” (Peter Adler and Nicholas Barnard. <I>Asafo! African Flags of the Fante.</B></I> London: Thames and Hudson, 1992, p. 7). The inclusion on this flag of the Union Jack is an example of assimilating prestige from prior British colonial presence. An example with identical design and iconography to the present flag, but in different colors, is illustrated as no. 155 in <I>Asafo!</B></I> In the discussion of this and two related flags, the following proverb is cited, with the ensuing comments: “ 'Will you fly or will you vanish?' Either way you can't escape us. This image is inspired by the dragons, griffins, cockatrices and wyverns of European heraldry. The Fante say of this monster, 'It can fly, it can dig in the ground, it can go anywhere.' “ (Ibid., pp. 74 - 75). There is use wear and staining, with scattered age losses.<BR><BR>Provenance: Gary Hendershott, Little Rock<BR> James Willis Tribal Art, San Francisco<BR><BR><BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Requires 3rd Party Shipping (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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