The Yoruba people, numbering over eighteen
million, are one of the best known and most
artistically prolific tribes of Sub-Saharan Africa.
They are centered in southwestern Nigeria, with
a significant population extending into the
neighboring Republic of Benin. In addition, many
people in both North and South America claim
Yoruban ancestry, a result of the Atlantic slave
trade. Although Yoruban peoples have long
referred to themselves by specific group names
based on the towns they inhabit, they are all
united by the Yoruba language, a common
mythology, and related artistic styles, suggesting
there is a common identity linking all the people.
Historically, the Yoruba lived in politically
centralized city-states, the most famous of
which are Ife (the mythological nexus of
creation), Owo, and Oyo (from which the name
Yoruba was derived by missionaries). Yoruba art
is now designated by the name of the geographic
locale a particular group inhabited. Some
individual artists and workshops have also been
identified. The Yoruba are famed for their
beadwork, which was used to decorate attributes
of kings, including foot rests, crowns, and
cloaks. Other major art forms include textiles,
figurative implements used by herbalists and
diviners, small figures carved to honor deceased
twins (called ibeji dolls), cast copper-alloy ritual
objects, as well as decorative stools and veranda
posts that would have belonged to the king.
Stylistically, this figure is closely related to the
ibeji doll type, both in terms of scale and form,
specifically the upright stance with arms held
along the sides. This piece depicts a man, naked
save for the covering that shields his genital
region. His facial features and almond-shapes
eyes are characteristically Yoruba. This specific
figure is closely related to another in our
collection, item number SP.139, which depicts a
female and was likely carved by the same
sculptor, possibly as a pair. This couple might
have once stood atop a family shrine, honoring
the memories of ancestors past. Today, this
charming sculpture symbolizes the outstanding
artistry of the Yoruba peoples.
- (CK.0056)
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