This fine rare Akan belt gilded in gold leaf foil and worn by members of the royal court is a display of importance and prestige. At its centre the belt features the depiction of three knives in sheaths, flanked on each side by two hornbill birds. Located at each end of the belt are representations of four containers, likely hunter's cartridges. The core base of each of these decorations has been carved in wood and display very fine incised detailing on top of which the gold foil has been laboriously applied.
A similar type of belt from the Estate of René David (1928-2015), described as 'an Akan belt of a notable, Côte d'Ivoire', was exhibited at the Musée International du Golfe de Guinée, Togo between 2005 and 2011 (see the reference below to view).
Length on Custom-Made Display Stand: 64cm
Height (Incl. Display Stand): 27cm
Reference
'Akan and Baule Prestige Objects', Moosculture.
(Click on images to enlarge)
