FON GAME BOARD

Fine Rare Game Board. Fon Culture, Benin (Dahomey)

‍

This fine, dramatic game board depicts two animals in a seated posture, with their stretched-out arms encompassing the board. This game board, an amazingly imaginative sculptural creation, is a wonderful example of the interplay between practicality and function. Inscribed on each side of the board is the word 'FAGBEMI'; letters which may have a possible relation to the owner.

‍

It is likely that the two carved animals incorporated into the game board are leopards. Within the Dahomey kingdom, royal emblems of the King (Fon) incorporates references to leopards. Representations of leopards in Dahomey art pertain to the ancestral beginnings of the dynasty - as told in the myth of the divine leopard king of Dahomey, Agasu - with each King (Fon) embodying the strength of the leopard.

‍

Ex Private Collection, Germany

Estimated Period: First Quarter of 20th Century

‍

H: 64 CM

W: 21 CM