Asafo Flag

ca. 1863

Fante, African

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About the Artwork

Asafo flags such as this were owned collectively by Fante military organizations of Ghana. They were commissioned by each captain for the day of his investiture and were also displayed and danced on special occasions, such as the royal yam festival and at funerals. The applique and embroidered designs on both sides of the flag show figures casting a net in which a large fish is caught. The message is: Europeans erected a strong stone fort (Anomabu Fort), but Africans can use many men to "catch" the fort.

Title Asafo Flag

Artwork Date ca. 1863

Artist ----------

Life Dates ----------

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. African

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. Fante

Medium Appliqued and embroidered cloth

Dimensions Overall: 40 × 72 inches (101.6 × 182.9 cm) Overall (with fringe): 45 × 73 1/2 inches (114.3 × 186.7 cm)

Classification Textiles

Department African Art

Credit Founders Society Purchase, Acquisitions Fund

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 1983.17

Markings

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Provenance

Dr. George Preston.
Asafohene Kofi Mensah.
the family of Asafohen Obuokwan ("Pathfinder") Sam.
Princes Atta-Panyin and Atta-Kakra (alias Charlie and Edward Erskine), twin sons of the late King Arku or Arkrah.
(Damon Brandt);
1983-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

For more information on provenance, please visit:

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Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

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Published References

Kan, Micheal. African Masterworks In The Detroit Institute of Arts. Washington D.C., 1995, cat. no. 21.

Quarcoopome, Nii. “Akan Ceremonial Cloths, Costumes, and Flags.” Bulletin of the DIA 91, no. 1-4 (2017): p. 72 (fig. 3.29).

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Catalogue Raisoneé

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Credit Line for Reproduction

Fante, African, Asafo Flag, ca. 1863, appliqued and embroidered cloth. Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase, Acquisitions Fund, 1983.17.