NIGERIA, OWO - Lot 38

Lot 38
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Estimation :
2000 - 3000 EUR
NIGERIA, OWO - Lot 38
NIGERIA, OWO YORUBA ram head Wood Height 44 cm - Length 18 cm Rams are a symbol of the ancestors among the Yoruba because of the aggressiveness with which they are known to protect their families, as well as their vigilance and strength. This carved ram's head was part of the altars of high officials and rulers in the Owo region of Nigeria, as well as Ishan. This iconography is also related to the traditional altars of the Benin kingdom, and probably has a common ancestral source. According to Rowland Abiodun, the "osanmasinmi motif, the ram's head, can also take the form of a combination of the human head (as is the case in the Ojomo palace). The Olowo, the Ojomo and the high-ranking chiefs who head important families in Owo generally own and maintain ojupo (ancestral shrines) which serve as places where the living can communicate with their deceased ancestors in an appropriate and regular manner, during elaborate ancestral rites during the new yam harvest." He continues: "The ram, because of its qualities of vivacity and strength, and its ability to fight and defend itself, has become a most effective visual metaphor for the deceased ancestor." A comparable example is known from the Daniel and Mariam Malcolm collection
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