Old Ashanti Divination Basin – Ghana

Early 20th century. Bronze; weight 433.0 g (15.27 oz); maximum diameter 32.5 cm (12.80 in). Lost‑wax casting combined with chasing and repoussé work. Warm, aged patina.

Among the Ashanti, metal basins of this type are closely associated with ritual and divinatory practices, particularly within shrine contexts.

The basin is circular, with a shallow concave center and a broad, carefully decorated rim. At the center appears a solar motif executed in relief, a form widely understood in Akan visual language as a symbol of cosmic order, vitality, and spiritual power. The rim is encircled by a continuous band of incised and repoussé decoration combining stylized animals and birds, geometric separators, linear motifs, and repeating ornamental units. The combination of a central solar emblem and a protective animal frieze reflects Ashanti cosmology, in which spiritual forces, ancestors, and the natural world are visually intertwined.

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