Zemanek-Münster

Kneeling female figure "onile"

Nigeria, Yoruba
sold EUR 1,500
Provenance
Christie’s Paris, 10 June 2008, lot 70
Size
H: 28 cm
H: 11.0 inch

Description

brass, both hands showing the “ogboni” gesture, handwritten collection number “173” at the bottom, traces of corrosion, small missing parts;
“onile” figures may appear in pairs. They are called “owner of the house” resp. “father and mother, owner of the house”. “House” means the building in which the members of the “ogboni” society stay and were these figures are kept.


Comparing literature

Dobbelmann, Th.A.H.M., Der Ogboni-Geheimbund, Berg en Dal 1976, ill. 95

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