Yoruba, Nigeria
1930s
Wood with pigment
Largest figure height 9 1/4 in (23.5 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Portland, OR
Thomas Ona Odulate was a Yoruba carver active in Ijebu-Ode and Lagos during the first half of the twentieth century, known for figures depicting colonial officials, soldiers, missionaries, and scenes of Nigerian public life that engage the social structures and visual codes of the colonial period. This judicial group reflects his characteristic approach of carved wooden figures with painted details, enlarged eyes, and individualized dress and attributes that balance close observation with stylization. Works of this type occupy a distinct position at the intersection of Yoruba carving practice, colonial-era portraiture, and early Nigerian social commentary.
The grouping presents its subjects with the restrained interpretive quality that distinguishes Odulate's work from both straightforward documentary carving and overt satire, registering the colonial judicial world as seen from within Nigerian society. Odulate's figures are held in major ethnographic collections and are recognized as documents of the colonial encounter in West Africa. The Portland private collection provenance places this group within the serious American collector market for African art.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Yoruba, Nigeria
1930s
Wood with pigment
Largest figure height 9 1/4 in (23.5 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Portland, OR
Thomas Ona Odulate was a Yoruba carver active in Ijebu-Ode and Lagos during the first half of the twentieth century, known for figures depicting colonial officials, soldiers, missionaries, and scenes of Nigerian public life that engage the social structures and visual codes of the colonial period. This judicial group reflects his characteristic approach of carved wooden figures with painted details, enlarged eyes, and individualized dress and attributes that balance close observation with stylization. Works of this type occupy a distinct position at the intersection of Yoruba carving practice, colonial-era portraiture, and early Nigerian social commentary.
The grouping presents its subjects with the restrained interpretive quality that distinguishes Odulate's work from both straightforward documentary carving and overt satire, registering the colonial judicial world as seen from within Nigerian society. Odulate's figures are held in major ethnographic collections and are recognized as documents of the colonial encounter in West Africa. The Portland private collection provenance places this group within the serious American collector market for African art.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
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