African Art

African, Nigeria; Yoruba People, Village of Osi-Ilorin or neighborhood, 20th century
Ceremonial Stand, wood with metal spikes, 1920s-1930s
Ackland Fund, 86.39

Scholars have disagreed about the function of this object. It has been called a stool, but it is more likely to be a stand, perhaps for objects or offerings at a shrine.

Two groups of figures ornament the stand. On the upper level are a kneeling woman holding a calabash, a soldier holding his sword, and a flute-player. The flute-player may represent the god Eshu, who also appears on the divination tray to the left in this gallery. On the lower level are two other musicians and a second kneeling woman.

The calabashes held by the women have a variety of meanings. The calabash is a container commonly used for food, and the women may be presenting offerings. However, the woman holding a calabash can also be an emblem of pregnancy and therefore of fertility. Finally, in Yoruba thought the universe is compared to a spherical calabash divided in half: the lower half represents the visible world and the upper half, the invisible world of the spirit. The woman on the lower level holds a calabash divided in this way.