Among the Yoruba peoples, special attention is given to the head as the focus and container of spiritual powers. The forces that make a person essentially themselves are centered in the head. This is why sculptors place special emphasis on the head, increasing the proportion of the head to the body in figural works. It explains the importance of crowns as containers of spiritual energy and the creation of special shrines known as the “house of the head.” These shrines take the form of leather and cowrie containers, some with references to equestrians; others more abstract stem-on-cone forms. Inside the “house” is a highly stylized figure, such as this object, that is known as an “ibori.” The cowrie shells that adorn the ibori suggest both wealth and the whiteness of spiritual power. Much more stylized than most Yoruba art forms, the figure and its house recall the royal crowns, particularly the oldest stem on cone forms.
Description:
A conical leather form topped by a projecting stem, with a knob missing from the top of the stem. The cone is covered with vertical rows of cowrie shells.
Provenance:
Ambassador George C. McGhee, collected 1950-1970s to 2005
The McGhee Foundation, Middleburg, Virginia, 2005 to 2013
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