Dieses Prestigeobjekt ist von Nii Quarcoopome im Katalog zur gleichnamigen Ausstellung „Through African Eyes“ (2010) im Detroit Institute of Arts wie folgt beschrieben: „Chief’s Sun Helmet. Among the highly visible objects coming from Europe were gentlemen’s hats, military head coverings, and crowns, which were eagerly adopted by Africans all over the continent.

Men, in particular, appropriated these radically new styles, while women elaborated indigenous forms of head attire, such as elegantly wrapped ties that were nevertheless subject to ever-chaning fashions. The men’s adoption of new forms reflects not only the emphasis on elaborating and covering the head in many African cultures, it also relates to the power and prestige embodied in these foreign styles.

Both pith helmets, worn by white military men, administrators, businessmen, and missionaries, and the kepi, part of French police and military uniforms in the colonies, incarnate authority.

Besides enhancing their own status, men who worked in the colonial economy may have also chose these hats to demonstrate their allegiance to the foreign powers. These two works are skeuomoprhs, objects in the same shapes as the originals, yet carefully carved from wood with intricate surface designs. Gold leaf covers the pith helmet, an indication that it was a display object (Cat. 73).

Called sika blawa by the Baule, the helmet formed part of regalia and other prestigious pieces acquired from this purpose. The kepi (Cat. 74) may have had the same function. By creating these hats of authority in materials and with elaborations familiar to the Baule, their foreignness was mitigated and they became part of the Baule visual repertoire.“

Quarcoopome, Nii O. (2010). Through African Eyes. The European in African Art, 1500 to Present. Detroit: Detroit Institute of Arts, Seiten 258-259.

In „Crowning Achievements: African Arts of Dressing the Head“ steht zum gleichen Thema: „Full-sized wooden hats inspired by French colonial headwear were carved by the Baule of Côte d’Ivoire prior to independence in the 1960s … Their appeal to the Baule lies not in their imitation of exotic foreign dress, but in the appropriation of dress that, linked to colonial authority in the Baule’s history, carried with it associations of power, authority, and prestige (Kreamer, Christine Mullen. 1995. “Spectacular Hats for Special Occasions.” (Arnoldi, Mary-Jo / Mullen Kreamer, Christine (1995). Crowning Achievements: African arts of dressing the head. Los Angeles: Fowler Museum of Cultural History.)

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„Ohne schöne Dinge können wir nicht leben“ – dieses Bekenntnis eines Baule könnte auch aus dem Munde eines westlichen Kunstliebhabers stammen. Sich mit reizvollen Objekten zu umgeben war den Baule in der Côte d’Ivoire ein ähnlich grundlegendes Anliegen wie westlichen Sammlern afrikanischer Kunst. Diese Lebensauffassung der Baule äusserte sich in fein gearbeiteten Ritualfiguren ebenso wie in liebevoll verzierten Gebrauchsgegenständen.

Als Teil eines über Generationen vererbten Familienschatzes wurde dieses Schauobjekt von Baule-Notabeln sorgfältig behütet und gelegentlich zu Ehren eines Mitgliedes der Gesellschaft öffentlich vorgezeigt oder getragen.

Weiterführende Literatur:
Ross, Doran H. et al. (2008). Das Gold der Akan. Museum Liaunig. Neuhaus: Museumsverwaltung GmbH.

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