H x W x D: 73.7 x 15.9 x 21.3 cm (29 x 6 1/4 x 8 3/8 in.)
Type:
Architectural Element
Geography:
Oshobo-Ilobu-Erin area, Nigeria
Date:
Before 1915
Label Text:
Yoruba veranda posts often display a mother-and-child theme, which is symbolic of the support of the gods and the nurturing of the people. The form and proportions of the figures' heads and bodies are typical of the Oshogbo-Ilobu-Erin area. The independence and individual character of the young male child, however, is unique to Maku of Erin, according to William Fagg. He stands on his own feet, literally, and is not wrapped on his mother's back or cradled in her arms.
Description:
Wood kneeling woman on a circular plinth holding a child in front, with the child's head turned to the left. Blue pigment adorns the woman's hair, and nails are in the center of her eyes. The figure has overall smoothing, wear to its surface.
Exhibition History:
For Spirits and Kings: African Art from the Paul and Ruth Tishman Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1981
Published References:
Fagg, William and John Pemberton III. 1982. Yoruba Sculpture of West Africa. New York: Pace Editions. p. 41, no. 45.
Vogel, Susan (ed). 1981. For Spirits and Kings: African Art from the Paul and Ruth Tishman Collection. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, pp. 124-125, no. 68.
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