Yoruba, Nigeria (Ogun State, Abeokuta area)
19th–early 20th century
Wood, polychrome pigment
Dimensions not provided
Provenance: Josef Mueller (1887–1977), Solothurn, Switzerland; Barbier-Mueller Museum, Geneva, deaccessioned 1979; Tom Phillips (1937–2022) Collection, London, acquired 1979; Christie's, London, "The Late Josef Mueller Collection, Part II," 20 March 1979, Lot 80; Christie's, London, 4 December 1990, Lot 79; private collection
Three standing female caryatid figures support a circular platform top, each carved with a crested coiffure rendered in fine parallel ridges and painted blue eyes that stand out against the darkened wood surface. The central figure faces forward and is larger in scale than the two flanking figures, which stand in profile; all three retain traces of black, white, and blue pigment across the body and garments. The circular base and platform top are each edged with a band of painted zigzag ornament in black and white.
The platform surface shows substantial paint loss and wear consistent with sustained ceremonial use, while the figures beneath retain considerably more of their original pigment. William B. Fagg, writing in the Christie's 1979 catalogue, identified this type of stool with the small village cults found along the border areas of Nigeria and Benin, particularly in the Awori region of Ogun State. The provenance connects this object to two of the most significant private collections of African art assembled in the twentieth century.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Yoruba, Nigeria (Ogun State, Abeokuta area)
19th–early 20th century
Wood, polychrome pigment
Dimensions not provided
Provenance: Josef Mueller (1887–1977), Solothurn, Switzerland; Barbier-Mueller Museum, Geneva, deaccessioned 1979; Tom Phillips (1937–2022) Collection, London, acquired 1979; Christie's, London, "The Late Josef Mueller Collection, Part II," 20 March 1979, Lot 80; Christie's, London, 4 December 1990, Lot 79; private collection
Three standing female caryatid figures support a circular platform top, each carved with a crested coiffure rendered in fine parallel ridges and painted blue eyes that stand out against the darkened wood surface. The central figure faces forward and is larger in scale than the two flanking figures, which stand in profile; all three retain traces of black, white, and blue pigment across the body and garments. The circular base and platform top are each edged with a band of painted zigzag ornament in black and white.
The platform surface shows substantial paint loss and wear consistent with sustained ceremonial use, while the figures beneath retain considerably more of their original pigment. William B. Fagg, writing in the Christie's 1979 catalogue, identified this type of stool with the small village cults found along the border areas of Nigeria and Benin, particularly in the Awori region of Ogun State. The provenance connects this object to two of the most significant private collections of African art assembled in the twentieth century.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
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