Figural structure with equestrian figure and accompanying figures
Description
wood, polychrome paint, hat worked separately, rest.
This magnificent figural object has been in the possession of Ursula Voorhuis since the 1970s.
It can be stylistically attributed to the master carver Oniyide (ca.1875 - ca.1947) from the famous sculptor family Adugbologe of Abeokuta.
A group of figures, which Hans Witte classified as Oniyide’s work, can serve as proof (cf. Witte, 2004, p. 68). The physiognomies show greatest similarities, from the treatment of eyes, nose, mouth and ears to facial scarification and body shapes.
The central motif is an equestrian figure with hat and lance. Thus, it could be the top of an “epa” mask representing the warrior “jagun-jagun”, who is also depicted as a mounted hunter and / or king. The group rises from a disc-shaped base. An original attachment on a helmet-shaped base “ikoko”, typical for “epa” masks, is quite conceivable.