Two dance staffs "eshu" ·  Nigeria, Yoruba · ID: 3037150

Description

wood, blackish brown patina, carved with a female resp. male kneeling figure with “eshu” plait, strings of cowrie shells, min. dam., cracks, slight traces of insect caused damage, base;
“eshu” staffs in the shape of a pair of male and female are worn around the neck by female devotees. The female sculptures frequently show kneeling women holding their breasts. They were identified as devotees of “eshu” showing a typical sacrificial posture.

The object Two dance staffs “eshu” with the object ID 3037150 was last part of the auction 77th tribal art auction at June 28, 2014 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 380.

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Expertise

Karl-Ferdinand Schädler, 01.05.2003, Munich

Comparing literature

Eisenhofer, Stefan (Hg.), Kulte, Künstler, Könige in Afrika, Linz 1997, p. 272 f.