This is the rating and price for Fante Asafo Flag, Man Gutted By Birds With Onlooker, Early-Mid 20Th C. Ghana, 35 Of 118, 1957

Description : Fante Asafo Flag #35 depicts what appears to be an unusually explicit scene, with a light-colored man whose neck is tied to a tree being eaten by vultures, his entrails pulled out like string, while another looks on in apparent shock, with hand to mouth. Over a lighter turquoise ground, with stylized British Union Jack flag canton, and border of thin bands of various colors with short, wide white fringe. Lettering indicates Asafo company No. 2. Size: 30.5 in h x 40 in w Condition is fair, with heavy surface wear, discoloration, dye bleed in spots, and holes throughout, many patched, all consistent with age and use. Provenance: Private Collection, New York. Asafo flags are a striking folk art mix of traditional West African motifs with European heraldry. The Fante people along the coast of present-day Ghana have long maintained an elaborate system of Asafo or military companies, whose ceremonial practices involved the creation of unique cloth flags. The double-sided flags, usually made of cotton or silk with embroidered or applique details, often depicted Akan proverbs or imagery representing boasts or taunts, often humorous or surreal, in bold colors and striking, asymmetrical compositions, combined with decorative borders and cantons showing the flags and insignia of the British, who had a complicated history of both alliance and competition with the Fante Confederacy. This is one of a large and varied collection of Fante Afaso flags in this auction. The flags were used to identify villages and convey messages, often for protection from rival villages and the Ashante people from the west, and later were used in festivals and ceremonies. These changing traditions reflect moments of transcultural exchange that were part of larger historical shifts, from trade with the Portuguese in the 15th Century, to British colonial rule in the 19th Century, to Independence in 1957. Ghana flags in canton indicate post-Independence origin, 1957 or later. The British flag suggests possible pre-Independence origin, however dating of this collection has not been determined. Please call or email for a detailed condition report.
Price: 270.00 USD It's free to register now to view!
Estimate (low-high) : 300 USD-500 USD It's free to register now to view!

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