Caryatid vessel "arugba shango"
Serge Trully, Cannes, France
Philippe Ratton, Paris, France
Description
wood, polychrome painted with red, indigo blue, white and black pigment, caryatid figure with overlong symmetrical arranged arms, bowl and lid carved with the mask face of “eshu” and double axe symbol, painted with triangular patterns, slightly dam., minor missing parts, cracks, abrasion of paint, small traces of insect caused damage, missing part (at the bottom of the bowl), base;
“shango” priests store the deity’s thunderbolts (Neolithic celts or axe heads), kola nuts, food offerings, “oshe shango”, and other ritual paraphernalia in a calabash bowl that is placed on an upturned mortar. In the Igbomina and Ekiti areas, “shango” shrines are adorned with such large sculpted “arugba”, or bowl carriers, as exemplified by present object. The central figure in a caryatid vessel is always a female, depicted either kneeling or seated on a mortar, holding a large bowl above her head with both hands. She represents a devotee who has petitioned “shango” for the blessing of a child. That her prayer was answered is indicated by the figures accentuated breasts and by the two smaller figures carved at either side. Both have their hands up to the breasts, symbolizing fertility. The faces carved in relief on the lid and bowl refer to a ritual practice in which a devotee touches his or her forehead with a kola nut and then repeats this action on the sculpted faces. The bowl itself is thought to be a metaphor for the womb, which “shango” can fill with a new life if the devotee is faithful to him.