Shrine Figure

Artist Yoruba people, Owo subgroup

Place of OriginOwo Kingdom, Nigeria

Date16th or 17th century

Dimensions8 1/8 × 3 1/4 × 3 1/4 in. (20.6 × 8.3 × 8.3 cm)

MediumIvory, camwood powder

ClassificationSculpture

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1976.40

Not on View

Label TextCarved from ivory, a prestigious material reserved in Owo society for ceremonial and royal objects, this figure with breasts, braided hair, and full skirt represents both a woman and a man. The olowo (Owo king) dressed as a woman for special occasions to honor female ancestors and the hidden side of his own power. Balancing a pot of sacred water and healing herbs, the figure’s nude torso and implied kneeling posture signify humility while praying to the gods. The red-brown color and the wear on the beads of the necklace indicate repeated ritual anointing with camwood powder.Published References"Treasures for Toledo," Toledo Museum of Art Museum News, vol. 19, nos. 2, 3, 1976, p. 81, repr.

The Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo Treasures, Toledo, 1995, p. 62, repr. (col.).

Roberts, Mary Nooter, Facing Africa: The African Art Collection of the Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, 1998, p. 11 and pp. 18-19, repr. (col.).

Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo Museum of Art Masterworks, Toledo, 2009, p. 54, repr. (col.).

Eyo, Ekpo, From Shrines to Showcases: Masterpieces of Nigerian Art, Abuja, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Federal Ministry of Information and Communication, 2009, no. 67, p. 111, repr. (col.).

Exhibition HistoryIbadan, Nigeria, The Sculpture of Western Nigeria, 1960, no. 6, a and b.

New York, Center for African Art; Chicago, Art Institute of Chicago; Washington, National Museum of African Art; Cleveland, Cleveland Museum of Art, Yoruba: Nine Centuries of African Art and Thought, 1989-1990.

Toledo, Toledo Museum of Art, Student Curators Present: African Art, April 27-July 24, 2012 (Hitchcock Gallery).

Comparative ReferencesSee also Fagg, William, Nigerian Tribal Art, London Arts Council of Great Britain, 1960.

See also Willet, Frank, The Sculpture of Western Nigeria, Ibadan, Nigeria, Ministry of Information, 1960 and 1966, 2nd ed., no. 6 a & b.

See also Fagg, William, Nigerian Images, the Splendor of African Sculpture, New York, 1963, cf. no. 99.

See also Robbins, Warren, African Art in American Collections, New York, 1966, p. 150, pl. 182. In this book, the figure in the Moore collection is misattributed to Benin, the piece is Yoruba from Owo.

See also African Art from the James Hooper Collection, London, Christies, July 14, 1976, lot 52.