Soul washer's badge

Original Language TitleAkrafonkonmu

CultureAkan peoples, Baule subgroup

Dateearly 20th century

MediumCast gold alloy

DimensionsOverall: 3 inches (7.62 cm)

Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust through the George H. and Elizabeth O. Davis Fund

Object number2014.2

On View

On view

Gallery Location

Collections

African Art

Terms

DescriptionDisc-shaped pendants, usually suspended on a string of natural fiber, are worn as part of the ceremonial gear of Baule royal functionaries. This group of officials of the court is responsible for the periodic ritual cleansing of a chief’s soul hence the pendant’s name, akrafonkonmu or soul washer’s badge. This particular ceremony is considered critical to the ruler’s wellbeing, which in turn impacts the survival of the kingdom, as the Akan people believe the monarch’s health is inextricably linked to that of the kingdom. The number of these priestly officials who surround the chief’s on important occasions indicates the size and prestige of the court.

Soul washers’ badges are made of either gold leaf or cast alloyed gold and are typically inscribed on the front with motifs arranged inside concentric circles around a central cone.Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Gold aus Afrika: aus der Privatsammlung von René und Denise David, Zürich, Neue Galerie der Stadt Linz, Linz, Austria, February 15-May 27, 2001, no. 51.

Gold in der Kunst Westafrikas, Helvetisches Goldmuseum, Burgdorf, Switzerland, October 18, 2009-April 18, 2010; Galerie Walu, Zürich, May 22-June 26, 2010.

Provenance

René (1928-2015) and Denise David (d. 2011), Zürich, Switzerland, by November 15, 1995-at least 2001;

With Galerie Walu, Zürich, Switzerland, by 2009-2013 [2];

Purchased from Galerie Walu, through the generosity of Delores De Wilde Bina and Robert F. Bina, by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 2014.

NOTES:

[1] A copy of a document dated November 15, 1995, addressed to René David from the Swiss Customs Service and verifying the object’s gold content and weight, is in the NAMA curatorial file. The badge was exhibited as in the David private collection in 2001.

[2] René and Denise David operated Galerie Walu until 1999, when their son Jean assumed ownership of the gallery.

Published References

Peter Baum, Gold aus Afrika: aus der Privatsammlung von René und Denise David, Zürich , exh. cat. (Linz, Austria: Neue Galerie der Stadt Linz, 2001), 69, 140, (repro.).

Jean and Jane David, et al, Gold in der Kunst Westafrikas, exh. cat. (Burgdorf: Helvetisches Goldmuseum and Zürich: Galerie Walu, 2009), 55, (repro.).

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