Seated female figure with lidded bowl · Nigeria, Yoruba, Oyo, Shaki · ID: 3048133
Rolf & Christina Miehler, Munich, Germany
Neumeister, Munich, 10 June 2010, Lot 176
Walter Grasser, Munich, Germany
Description
wood, pigment residues, base
The Yoruba used female figures carrying bowls to offer kola nuts “obi” to their guests as a sign of hospitality.
Usually these figures are depicted kneeling and the lidded bowls are carved in the form of a cock. Carvers in northern Ekiti called these figures “olumeye”, “one who knows honor”. They depicted a woman who “is a messenger of the spirits”.
The object Seated female figure with lidded bowl with the object ID 3048133 was part of the auction 97th Auction on November 6, 2021. The object with the lot number 97 achieved a sales price of EUR 2,600 with an asking price of EUR 800.
You can find more Figures and other popular object types on our related topic pages. You may also be interested in our page on African art.
Comparing literature
Fagg, William, Yoruba, Sculpture of West Africa, New York 1982, p. 134