Skip to main content Smithsonian Institution

Catalog Data

Maker:
Yoruba artist  Search this
Medium:
Wood, paint, nails
Dimensions:
H x W x D: 45.7 x 44.1 x 31.1 cm (18 x 17 3/8 x 12 1/4 in.)
Type:
Decorative Arts
Geography:
Abeokuta, Nigeria
Date:
Early to mid-20th century
Label Text:
The style of this stool indicates that it is from the Adugbologe workshop, with its polychromed figures demonstrating sharply incised nostrils, wide mouths, wide lenticular eyes, large spherical heads and short legs. If indeed from the renowned Adugbologe workshop, it would be part of a distinctive style from Abeokuta that is so well known that it is considered a brand name of sorts.
The stool features an intriguing and contrasting cast of characters, including a standing woman holding kola nuts--a gesture of hospitality--flanked by attendants in "Western" or colonial attire, paired with a kneeling man and two attendants who appear more traditionally dressed. Though none of the figures is making the Ogboni gesture of greeting--left fist over the right fist, with thumbs concealed--the red attendant gestures out with the left hand, betraying Ogboni's known preference for left-handedness. However, the arm appears to have been reattached and may not be in the original position. The male/female pairing may also indicate some connection to the Ogboni Society.
Carved Ogboni figural groups can be encountered as objects of power and prestige in front of a titled member's house or in his reception chamber. They should be understood in the larger complex political environment of Abeokuta, a city which quickly expanded from 1850 onwards and harbored several kings, Ogboni lodges and a great number of war chiefs, locked together in an evershifting power balance. The demand for prestige symbols must have been enormous. As a gathering place for the elite, the Ogboni lodge itself must have been an ideal center for political maneuvering and intrigue.
The Ogboni Society is an important institution of respected elders that fulfills a number of judicial, political and spiritual roles. They have the power to select, advise, and when necessary, depose kings, and mete punishment where necessary in judicial hearings, specifically related to the violation of the sanctity of the Earth. Wooden Ogboni figures are relatively rare in scholarship, eclipsed by the attention given to the ubiquitous Ogboni brasscastings of two figures chained together. If this stool is indeed associated with the Ogboni Society, it represents an important contribution to the scholarship of Christopher Slogar, and to the field of African art.
Slogar, Christopher. 2002. "Carved Ogboni Figures from Abeokuta, Nigeria." African Arts 35 (4), pp. 14-27, 91-92.
Description:
Stool or shrine figure composed of six standing figures in the round, five male and one female, painted in polychromed red, yellow, blue, black and white or silver. One red figure gestures out with his left hand, while another's hands are exaggerated and large, nearly touching the base of the stool. This figure also has three parallel scarification lines incised into his forehead.
Content Statement:
As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
Image Requests:
High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
Topic:
male  Search this
female  Search this
Credit Line:
Gift of Eugene and Gwen Martinson
Object number:
73-38-1
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
National Museum of African Art Collection
Data Source:
National Museum of African Art
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys7c5242202-1ca0-4ecf-89bf-41a8cbcf83a4
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmafa_73-38-1