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THBWest African Yoruba Nigerian Carved Wood Veranda Post and Ancestral Totem
About Seller
522 South Pineapple Avenue
Sarasota, FL 34236
United States
Sarasota Estate Auction specializes in a wide variety of furniture, antiques, fine art, lighting, sculptures, and collectibles. Andrew Ford, owner and operator of the company, has a passion for finding the best pieces of art and antiques and sharing those finds with the Gulf Coast of Florida.
Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Two ways to bid:
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About Auction
LiveJan 19, 2025
Over 800 lots will be offered in day 2 of our 2 day weekend. There are multiple lots of important fine art from landscapes and etchings to old masters and portraits. We have a collection of sterling silver, African artifacts, oriental rugs, Asian antiquities, a collection from the Ex Managing Director of the NYC Waldorf Astoria, and more! Sarasota Estate Auction sarasotaestateauction@gmail.com
View Full Catalog (933)
- Lot Description
West African Yoruba Nigerian Carved Wood Veranda Post and Ancestral Totem. Includes three figures, with a masculine figure with three baskets on his head riding a donkey on top, a woman with pendulous breasts supporting him from below, and a child at her side holding several items on their own head. Veranda posts were a commonly commissioned feature of royal palaces and courts among the Yoruban people, and can still be seen in Nigeria in particular.
Size: 18 x 18 x 77 in.
#4703 .
The Yoruba people are a West African ethnic group who mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by the Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute more than 50 million people in Africa, with over a million outside the continent, and bear further representation among descendants of the African diaspora. They make up 20.7% of Nigeria’s population, making them one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa. Most Yoruba people speak the Yoruba language, which is the Niger-Congo language with the largest number of native speakers. The Yoruboid languages are assumed to have developed out of an undifferentiated Volta-Niger group by the 1st Millennium BC. They are associated with several of the major ancient empires, including the Oyos, and share a general group identity around a number of cultural concepts, beliefs, and practices dealing with a unifying ruler (Oduduwa) and a dynastic origin in the possibly mythical city of Ile-Ife in the heart of Yorubaland. Another key unifier is the shared origin of their polytheistic religion, which involves aspects of animism found elsewhere on the continent along with a semi-Messianic worldview. The Yoruba people have over 50 named gods and spirits, with some overlap in the role and purpose of each one depending on the region. Although there have been significant efforts over the years to force them to convert to Christianity or Islam, the lower classes fiercely maintained their beliefs while the merchant and higher classes embraced the new religions. Due to rampant infighting and colonialism by the beginning of the 19th Century the Yoruba community was heavily fractured, divided among the British colony of Lagos (traditionally called Eko), Ketu, Egba, Jebu, Ibadan, Ijesha, Ondo, the remnants of Ife, Mahin/Ilaje on the southeastern maritime coast, and several other smaller states such as the Egbado, Akoko groups, Yagba, Awori and numerous independent townships. During the internecine wars of the mid 19th Century, more than 150 communities fled to safety in the fortified city of Abeokuta in modern-day Nigeria. To avoid civil collapse, these independent councils elected their most capable members to create a joint federal, civilian, and military council that represented the city as a whole, which British Commander Frederick Forbes called “the most extraordinary republic in the world.” Throughout this period and into modern times, the Yorubas were renowned artisans, whose works in bronze, leather, terracotta, ivory, textiles, copper, stone, carved wood, brass, ceramics and glass were sought across the continent and eventually throughout Europe. A unique feature of Yoruba art is its striking realism, and human sculptures are often vividly rendered life-sized forms. Much Yoruba artwork, including staffs, court dress, and beadwork for crowns, are associated with palaces and the royal courts, who commissioned numerous architectural objects such as veranda posts, gates, and doors that are embellished with carvings. Yoruba palaces are usually built with thicker walls to accommodate these heavier augmentations, and sometimes have entire sections dedicated to specific gods. Yoruba art is also manifested in shrines with an array of miniature altar figures and masking traditions. Diverse mask types are used in various festivals and celebrations, such as masquerades connected to ancestor reverence. Another unique feature that instantly identifies Yoruba artwork and motifs is the abundance of twins, as the tribe presents the highest dizygotic twinning rate in the world (4.4% of all maternities). They manifest at 90 to 100 twins per every 1,000 live births, possibly because of high consumption of a specific type of yam containing a natural phytoestrogen that may stimulate the ovaries to release an egg from each side. Twins are perceived as having spiritual advantages or as possessing magical powers, which differentiates them from most other cultures that interpreted twins as dangerous or unwanted.
- Shipping Info
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SHIPPING INFORMATION·
Sarasota Estate Auction IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR SHIPPING! BUYER MUST ARRANGE SHIPPING. All shipping will be handled by the winning bidder. Sarasota Estate Auction recommends obtaining shipping quotes before bidding on any items in our auctions. To obtain a quote, please email info@premiershipment.com. Be sure to include the lot you are interested in and address you would like the quote for. Refunds are not offered under any circumstances base on shipping issues, this is up to the buyer to arrange this beforehand.
BIDDER MUST ARRANGE THEIR OWN SHIPPING. Although SEA will NOT arrange shipping for you, we do recommend our preferred shipper Premier Shipping & Crating at info@premiershipment.com You MUST email them, please DO NOT CALLl. If you'd like to compare shipping quotes or need more options, feel free to contact any local Sarasota shippers. You can email any one of the shippers below as well. Be sure to include the lot(s) you won and address you would like it shipped to. Brennan with The UPS Store #0089 - 941-413-5998 - Store0089@theupsstore.com AK with The UPS Store #2689 - 941-954-4575 - Store2689@theupsstore.com Steve with The UPS Store #4074 - 941-358-7022 - Store4074@theupsstore.com Everett with PakMail - 941-751-2070 - paktara266@gmail.com
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- Size
18 x 18 x 77 in.
