Altar support/ mortar "odu" ·  Nigeria, Yoruba · ID: 3032446

Description

heavy wood, blackish brown patina, originally painted with white dots, remains of indigo blue pigment, carved with a kneeling figure, carrying two bags “laba” of a priest on either side, accompanied by a snake whose winding motion reminds of “shango’s” thunder bolts, “shango’s” dog and the double-axe motif present as well, slightly dam., minor missing parts, cracks, traces of weathering;
such reversed mortars “odu shango” served as base for wooden receptacles where the prehistoric stone axes “edun ara” were kept, which “orisha shango” used to throw against those who displeased him.

The object Altar support/ mortar “odu” with the object ID 3032446 was last part of the auction 68th tribal art auction at March 3, 2012 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 400.

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Comparing literature

Homberger, Lorenz (Hg.), Yoruba, Zürich 1991, ill. 83