Janus sceptre "ipawo ase" · Nigeria, Yoruba, Ijebu-Ode · ID: 3041882
sold
EUR 3,000
Provenance
Willem E. Geyskens, Diest, Belgium (collected in situ in the late 1960’s)French Private Collection
Alain Lecomte, Paris, France (2010)
Private Collection
Size
H: 39 cm
H: 15.4 inch
Description
brass with patina, trapezoid base, originally provided with bells, crowned by human janus head, min. dam., slight traces of corrosion, base;
staffs like this, known as “ipawo ashe” or “scepters of vital force”, can be used by anyone with sufficient authority and vital force, i. e. district chiefs, priests, “oshugbo” elders and kings. These hand-held ceremonial staffs were used to greet those present and impose silence during gatherings.
Comparing literature
Witte, Hans, Earth and the Ancestors, Ogboni Iconography, Amsterdam 1988, p. 154
Publications
AHDRC: 0104144