Ashanti Wood Antelope Head

Two horns, long and slender, sweeping up as if listening for something.

Ashanti carvers of Ghana, West Africa, made this antelope head in wood in the 20th century. Antelope imagery is widely found in West African carving, where animals are often associated with grace, vigilance and clan identity. The head is narrow and tapered, the muzzle lightly ridged, the eye small and calm. Two thin horns rise in a gentle backward curve. The wood has a deep, glossy reddish-brown polish, and the piece stands on a slender black metal mount.

About fourteen inches tall. Elegant, quiet, and faintly alert on a bookcase.