This PramPram couple

This PramPram couple, collected in Ghana and formerly in the collection of Baba Sylla, exemplifies a rare and little-known sculptural tradition from northern Ghana and Togo, stylistically related to the Moba cultural sphere. The figures are mounted on blackened and natural reddish wooden stands and display multiple layers of pigment, predominantly orange, with eyes, mouth, and breasts outlined in black, highlighting their symbolic anatomy.

The individual figure presents a solid, compact body with tapering limbs, very short legs, and a large, spherical head. Facial and anatomical features—including eyes, mouth, ears, navel, nipples, and genitals—are indicated as shallow depressions, while the nose appears as a subtle ridge. The restrained modeling and the use of incised and recessed forms suggest an emphasis on essentialized human characteristics rather than naturalistic representation, conveying social or spiritual meaning through formal abstraction.

Baba Sylla, Acra, Ghana, 2018

The provenance of these sculptures is particularly significant. Baba Sylla, a prominent Accra-based collector and trader, was instrumental in introducing these extremely rare PramPram figures to Western collections, having acquired them from local contexts in which they were originally part of shrine installations. Oral testimony collected by Karl-Heinz Krieg shortly before his death confirms that these objects were once housed in ritual huts, though access to the original sites was limited. This scarcity and restricted provenance help explain why PramPram sculptures remain virtually unknown in the anthropological and art-historical literature.

The PramPram couple demonstrates the fusion of stylistic economy, symbolic abstraction, and ritual function, reflecting a small but sophisticated cultural lineage in northern Ghana. Their careful construction, layered pigmentation, and integration into ritual contexts underscore their significance as material mediators of spiritual and social identity.

Literature: Dogbe, B.K. (1977). The Human Form as a Central Theme in Art. Bild (Journal of the College of Art), Kumasi; Wolfgang Jaenicke, New PramPram Figures, Interview with Baba Sylla, Accra.

CAB36681

Höhe: 50 cm / 56 cm (ohne Ständer)
Gewicht: 990 g / 1,4 kg (inkl. Stand)