umbrella-finial
- Museum number
- Af1934,-.1
- Title
- Series: Asante Gold
- Description
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Umbrella finial (kyinie poma); made of wood covered with gold leaf. Cylindrical, ridged shaft terminating in five square platforms on which stand five birds (sankofa) facing backwards. The birds are carved separately and attached to the platforms. The gold leaf is secured with small metal staples. The base of the shaft has a square socket for attachment to the top of the umbrella and is pierced horizontally to accommodate a retaining pin.
- Production date
- 1850-1895 (circa)
- Dimensions
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Height: 28.30 centimetres
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Width: 20 centimetres
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Depth: 23.60 centimetres
- Curator's comments
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The umbrella finial was reported by T A Joyce to the Trustees as a "gold-foil plated finial to the state umbrella of Prempeh, ex-chief of the Ashanti nation, the umbrella itself being already in the Museum". See Collection File: Af1934,-.1.
An Asante umbrella, looted during the 1895-6 Anglo-Asante war, was presented to the Museum by Cecil Armitage in 1913. See Collection File: Af1913,-.240.
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Customarily, the Asantehene was not permitted to step out of doors, or to pass from one room of the palace to another unless covered by a canopy and this was observed even when he held audiences at night. The reason was acknowledged in the well-known saying ‘the Sky God must never behold the crown of the King’s head.’
Images of the sankofa bird are widely used in Asante appearing as gold-weights, as low relief decoration on shrines and in patterns printed on cloth. Most of the meanings attributed to the image concern looking to the past for understanding, wisdom and knowledge.
Proverb:
‘Just as a bird can remove an insect from its back without changing its position, so a chief sitting in judgment can bring out the evil that is behind him and place it in front of him in the sight of all men.
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The fixing staples have not noticeably tarnished so it is likely that they are made from an alloy of brass and gold.
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In a few places the gold foil is noticeably thicker than the majority covering this object; it is possible that this thicker foil was added at some later date to replace gold that had been lost or damaged during use.
- Location
- Not on display
- Condition
- Poor. Some of the birds are loose on their plinths and there is also some gold loss from the base and sides. One of platforms is damaged and and highly mobile.
- Acquisition date
- 1934
- Acquisition notes
- This umbrella finial was purchased by the Trustees of the Christy Fund from Anthony B D Butts and presented to the Museum in 1934. Mr Butts confirmed in a letter dated 10 April 1934 (see Collection File: Af1934,-.1) that he was "the purchaser of the collection of the late Sir Cecil Armitage's Ashanti possessions..". Mr Butts made the purchase in June or July 1933 following the death of Armitage in March of the same year.
This umbrella finial was presumably taken from the royal palace in Kumase by Sir Cecil Armitage who served in two of the Anglo-Ashanti wars in 1895-6 and 1900.
- Department
- Africa, Oceania and the Americas
- Registration number
- Af1934,-.1
- Additional IDs
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CDMS number: Af1934C3.1 (old CDMS no.)
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Other BM number: Af1973,Q.114 (previously registered as, in error)
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Other BM number: Af1974,Q.2925 (previously registered as, in error)
