Prestige stool ·  Nigeria, Yoruba, Ketu · ID: 3036770

Description

wood, polychrome painted, nails, round base, separate worked caryatid figures supporting the seat, equestrian with fly whisk in the centre, surrounded by accompanying figures arranged in a circle (two musicians and two female figures), completed by two ornamental pierced pillars and two pillars in shape of stylized snakes (rainbow serpent “oshumare”), old collection label at the bottom “Dahomey Fetish Stool”, slightly dam., cracks, rep. (forearms of one of the flute players, ornamental pierced pillar), minor missing parts (rim of the seat), abrasion of paint, seat undulatingly warped, slightly instable;
a stool is always a symbol of higher social rank and expresses the power “ase” and the character “iwa” of its owner. The figural arrangements show scenes of the principals life.

The object Prestige stool with the object ID 3036770 was last part of the auction 77th tribal art auction at June 28, 2014 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 375 achieved a sales price of EUR 2,000.

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Comparing literature

Homberger, Lorenz (Hg.), Yoruba, Zürich 1991, p. 29