Asante
Figure Asante, 1938
The National Museum of African Art
“The original owner, a twenty three year resident of Accra, commissioned this figure from the royal carver to the Asantehene in late 1938 or January 1939. She was told that this figure represents Sassabonsa. This creature lives in the forest and catches people who enter his territory. The details of the image - horns, bat wings, bent legs- suggest the influence of Christian depictions of the devil.”