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THB20th C. African Yoruba Beaded Oba Crown
Lot 155c
About Seller
Artemis Gallery
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$600 - $800
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About Auction
Live
By Artemis Gallery
Jul 1, 2020
Set Reminder
2020-07-01 10:00:00
2020-07-01 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Ancient | Near-Eastern | Asian Art
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/ancient-near-eastern-asian-art-5276
Ancient art from Egypt, Greece, Italy and the Near East, as well as Asian, Fossils, Pre-Columbian, Native American, African / Tribal / Oceanic, Spanish Colonial, Russian Icons, Fine art, much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
Ancient art from Egypt, Greece, Italy and the Near East, as well as Asian, Fossils, Pre-Columbian, Native American, African / Tribal / Oceanic, Spanish Colonial, Russian Icons, Fine art, much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (389)
- Lot Description
West Africa, Nigeria, Yoruba, ca. mid to late 20th century. A Yoruba beaded oba (king's) crown of a tall conical form and meticulously covered with hundreds of colorful European glass trade beads - a virtual rainbow of red, yellow, green, indigo, and white - with long fringes of beads that fall over the wearer's face. Beads were a symbol of status and wealth among the Yoruba peoples and both sacred and secular objects were decorated with meaningful patterns and designs created with tiny glass beads. The imagery on this crown includes three registers of human faces with a three-dimensional bird sitting on top. The faces most likely refer to the regional kings of the past and the present, while the bird refers to rituals that make the king semidivine. The hanging beads are said to protect followers from the king's supernatural powers. Size: 7.4" L x 6.4" W x 15.75" H (18.8 cm x 16.3 cm x 40 cm)
See a similar example at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art (object number 94-1-1). According to their curatorial description, "A beaded cone-shaped crown with a long fringe of beads that covers the wearer's face is the most important symbol of Yoruba kingship. Beaded crowns signify that the king-wearer can trace his ancestry to Odudua, the mythical founder of the sixteen original Yoruba kingdoms." The Smithsonian provides further context, "According to the crown makers of Efon-Alaiye, the earliest crowns were decorated with beads of one color. No examples survive of the first crowns, made with blue segi (Aggrey beads). The next crowns were decorated with red coral beads, which the Portuguese introduced in the late 15th century. Such crowns are rare. Crowns are now decorated with brilliantly colored glass beads, which have been imported from Europe probably since the mid-17th century. A Yoruba king might have several different beaded crowns and caps to wear for particular occasions. Like human beings, each ritual crown has its own oriki (chanted attributes or oral history)."
Provenance: private Orange County, California, USA collection acquired before 2000
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#156230Wearable as shown. Bird finial is removable. Losses to two beadwork strands along lower periphery and a few strands on bird finial. Light encrustations within some beads, with fraying to areas of textile lining. Beads show brilliant color throughout.Condition
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