Ladle, Wakemia

Bassa, Liberia
19th-early 20th c.

Provenance: Old American collection acquired in the 1980’s from Charles Miller III, NY.

Artists in Dan communities of Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire have mastered the art of carving impressive wooden ladles that are virtuoso works of sculpture. These ceremonial ladles, known as wunkirmian or wakemia (which translates as “Spoon associated with feasts”) are badges of prestige acknowledging an individual woman for her incomparable generosity. Oversized (they can measure up to two feet), they are not so much utilitarian objects rather than symbols of status and the bearer of spiritual powers. Quality of craftsmanship and complexity of design are constitutive of the work’s importance.