Frankaa

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Appliquéd Battalion Flag Asafo: Lion with crown, griffin-like bird and sasabonsam

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Lions are not found in the land of the Fante people. The crowned lion is a popular European heraldic animal, which populated the flags of war ships and trade vessels that had cast anchor on the Gold Coast from an early stage. The lion depicted here is a metaphor for British dominion over the Gold Coast. The bird’s talons recall depictions of the griffin in European heraldry. This dragon/eagle hybrid creature symbolises vigilance, speed and, above all, invincibility. The entity – half-human half-animal ­– that the griffin seems to be attacking, is a forest or bush spirit, a Sasabonsam, who spreads fear and terror among humans. Author: Doris Kubisch

Data Provider
Museen Freiburg Show original at data provider

Cataloguing data

Cultural attribution
Fante
Object type
Fahne
Dimensions
Width: 1750.0 mm
Height: 1350.0 mm
Material/Technique
Textiles
Current location
Museum Natur und Mensch
Inventory number
I/2633

Provenance and sources

  • Production
    when
    1930 - 1985
  • Change of legal title:
    Purchase
    when
    18.01.1990
  • Change of physical control or legal title
    where
    Africa (location/origin)
    Ghana (location/origin)
    who
    Krieg, Karl H. - Collectors
  • Assignment to a curated holding:
    Africa
Provenance
Nothing is known about the specific circumstances of the acquisition on site.

Information about the record

Legal status metadata
CC0 1.0 DEED

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