This beautiful gold ornament belongs to the Akan peoples of modern day Ghana and Ivory Coast. Some of the finest gold castings come from the area allocated by the Akan peoples. The faces found on such ornaments generally depict males with beards and thin moustaches and most probably refer to a deceased ancestor of a specific tribe.
Often these jewels were attached to the hair provided with small loops for suspension through which threads could be passed through. Other times they could be worn around the neck by a chain. Chiefs and dignitaries also attached such ornaments to the velvet of their crowns and caps. Disc-shaped or circular ornaments were often used to embellish wooden stools.

There were no restrictions about who possessed such ornaments; they could be owned by anyone rich enough to afford one. Such delicate and intimate art objects recall the unique sensitivity of the Akan peoples and their special reverence for capturing the deceased through art.
- Philips, Tom. Africa: The Art of a Continent. London: Prestel, 1999 (pp.440-441)