Fante Asafo Flag #71 depicts a red leopard or cat with white spots reaching toward a purple object resembling a grenade or bomb, over yellow ground, with stylized red and white Union Jack flag canton, and border of multicolored blocks with white fringe. Purple lettering in lower left indicates company No 1. Size: 36 in h x 49 in d. Condition is fair, with heavily worn edges, stains, discoloration, and holes, all consistent with age and use. Provenance: Private Collection, New York.

Asafo flags are a striking folk art mix of traditional West African motifs with European heraldry. The Fante people along the coast of present-day Ghana have long maintained an elaborate system of "Asafo" or military companies, whose ceremonial practices involved the creation of unique cloth flags. The double-sided flags, usually made of cotton or silk with embroidered or applique details, often depicted Akan proverbs or imagery representing boasts or taunts, often humorous or surreal, in bold colors and striking, asymmetrical compositions, combined with decorative borders and cantons showing the flags and insignia of the British, who had a complicated history of both alliance and competition with the Fante Confederacy.

This is one of a large and varied collection of Fante Afaso flags in this auction. The flags were used to identify villages and convey messages, often for protection from rival villages and the Ashante people from the west, and later were used in festivals and ceremonies. These changing traditions reflect moments of transcultural exchange that were part of larger historical shifts, from trade with the Portuguese in the 15th Century, to British colonial rule in the 19th Century, to Independence in 1957. Ghana flags in canton indicate post-Independence origin, 1957 or later. The British flag suggests possible pre-Independence origin, however dating of this collection has not been determined. Please call or email for a detailed condition report.

See description and photos for condition. Please email or call for a more detailed condition report. We grade on a scale from excellent, very good, good, fair, to poor; that said, all lots are sold in as is condition at time of sale, and condition listings are given as a courtesy for guidance only and should be evaluated by personal inspection by the bidder.

36 x 49 in