Baga Ceremonial Drum
Museum-grade artifact
19th–20th century
Southern Guinea
Certificate of Authenticity
Southern Guinea
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A composite ceremonial drum of vertical ambition, the body raised on a figured support of structural and sculptural complexity.
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Description
A ceremonial drum of the Baga, of composite vertical construction.
The drum body is cylindrical, raised on a latticed support of four curved ribs. A band of rectilinear panels encircles the waist; the skin head is secured by lashing and set with wooden tension pegs spaced around the rim.
The support rests on a circular collar bearing four outward-facing heads in profile. Below, a standing male figure carries the structure; a crossed bandolier runs across the torso, with incised detail at chest and waist. The figure stands on a plain rectangular base. A kneeling female figure with a standing child is integrated into the base composition.
Patina is dense and stable, deepest across the drum body and contact surfaces, with lighter wear to the carved figures consistent with differential handling.
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Context
Among the Baga, drums of this type structure collective performance.
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Provenance
From the Felice Maffei Collection.
Acquired in Ivory Coast, 1971.
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Available on private enquiry.
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