Dance staff "oshe shango"
Nigeria, Yoruba, Ife, Gbongan
sold
EUR 1,500
Provenance
Roland Hartmann, St. Gallen, SwitzerlandZemanek-Münster, Würzburg, 15 November 2008, Lot 91
Werner Zintl, Worms, Germany
Size
H: 38 cm
H: 15.0 inch
Description
wood, base
The special form of the double axe in shape of a saddle roof and the large, more or less circular eyes with the line of the upper eyelid just above the centre are characteristic for the carving style of Gbongan. The proximity to the workshop of the master Onakunle Aribikona of Gbongan (d. 1970) is recognicable. A work by the master illustrated in Fagg, 1982, Plate 62. See also Eisenhofer, 1997, p. 209, ill. III/2.7.
With such dance wands in their hands, the followers of the mighty thunder god “shango” participated in dances, processions, and rites in honor of their god.
The kneeling female figure represents a follower of the “shango” cult. Her imposing breasts refer to the life-giving powers of women.
Comparing literature
Fagg, William, Yoruba, Sculpture of West Africa, New York 1982, p. 177, Plate 62 Eisenhofer, Stefan (Hg.), Kulte, Künstler, Könige in Afrika, Linz 1997, p. 209, ill. III/2.7Publications
AHDRC: 0104732