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African & Tribal Art :
Yoruba Divination Bowls : Yoruba Wooden Divination Bowl Supported by a Woman with a Child on Her Back
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Yoruba Wooden Divination Bowl Supported by a Woman with a Child on Her Back - PF.6109
Origin: Nigeria
Circa: 20
th
Century AD
Dimensions:
10.5" (26.7cm) high
Collection: African
Style: Yoruba
Medium: Wood
£9,600.00
Location: UAE
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| Description |
This sculpture is imbedded with a magical
power. Kola nuts, a symbol of fertility, would
have been placed inside the bowl as an offering
for the gods. This would have been one of the
most sacred gifts offered to the gods. The
carving depicts a kneeling mother holding a child
on top of the back of her extended legs. The
mother reaches back and grasps the legs of her
child while the baby grabs her from underneath
her arms. The distance between the two figures
results in the exaggerated elongation of their
limbs. The sculptor otherwise has paid great
attention to the faces of both the figures,
detailing the decorative scarifications on their
cheeks that signify their tribal identity and rank
within the social hierarchy. The mother’s conical
breasts have also been emphasized, further
accentuating her fertility. The rim of the bowl
grows out of the mother’s head has been finely
finished and smoothly polished. Considering the
subject matter of the sculpture, it is safe to
assume that this bowl had a specific spiritual
function relating to fertility, both in regards to
the land and the tribe. This diminutive sculpture
has a power far greater than its size suggests, a
power to invoke the will of the gods and the
favor of ancestral spirits.
- (PF.6109)
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