Thomas Ona Odulate, circa 1900-1952, Nigeria Search this
Medium:
Wood, paint
Dimensions:
H x W x D: 21 x 10 x 9 cm (8 1/4 x 3 15/16 x 3 9/16 in.)
Type:
Figure
Geography:
Nigeria
Date:
Early to mid-20th century
Label Text:
Thomas Ona Odulate, often referred to simply as Thomas Ona, was a Yoruba sculptor active in the early to mid-20th century first in Ijebu Ode, and later in Lagos. He is known for his small scale carvings of Europeans and Africans who have adopted some foreign ways. While foreign critics have identified his works as satires, Ona considered himself an observer of daily life. His work retains some of the traditional Yoruba emphasis on the head and the eyes but the elaborate details, and removable parts (e.g. the gun of this figure) are distinctly new. His Nigerian soldiers and clerks, European couples with their dog, colonial officers with pith helmets in boats, clergymen, local women with children--all represent types rather than individual portraits in much the way regalia identified traditional rulers, devotees and deities in traditional iconography.
Description:
Wood standing male figure in military uniform with epaulettes, chest belt, medals and sleeve stripes. He holds in his right hand a separately carved rifle. The figure is of light colored raw wood with white on the cap insignia, eyes, chest belt, medals and rank stripes.
Provenance:
Patricia Kluge, Charlottesville, Virginia
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