Baga Ceremonial Drum
Southern Guinea
A composite vertical structure, the cylindrical drum elevated on an open rib support above a figural carrier and base group.
Description
Carved from a single wood block, the drum body is cylindrical, its open top covered by a hide membrane, hair retained, laced with cord to wooden tension pegs set around the body. A band of rectilinear panels encircles the lower register of the drum.
Below, four curved ribs descend to form an open support structure, creating an open interval between drum body and collar. This support rests on a domed element bearing four carved heads, set at the four quarters and each facing outward.
A kneeling female figure forms the primary vertical support, carrying the drum structure on her head. Her coiffure is incised with herringbone patterning beneath a band of lozenges, and the cheeks carry incised marks. She wears a necklace and armlets; a crossed band passes over the shoulders and back, and incised patterning marks the abdomen and waist. With both hands she holds a standing child before her. The figures rest on a rectangular base.
Surface is compact and stable. Exposure is present at projecting elements and contact points; patina is retained across recessed zones.
Context
Among the Baga, drums of this type function as processional instruments carried and played in collective ceremony.
Provenance
From the Felice Maffei Collection, acquired in Ivory Coast, 1971.
Details
- Title
- Baga Ceremonial Drum
- Culture
- Baga
- Origin
- Southern Guinea
- Date
- 19th–20th century
- Dimensions
- H 107 cm (42.1 in) · W 35 cm (13.8 in)
- Medium
- Wood, hide, cord
- Provenance
- From the Felice Maffei Collection, acquired in Ivory Coast, 1971.
- Condition
- Stable patina; lashing and tension pegs intact; hide membrane worn, with small perforations.
