Agbonbiofe Adeshina and assistants
African (Nigeria), died 1945
Veranda Post
iroko wood and pigment, 1912-1916
Ackland Fund, 91.174
This post came from the royal palace in Efon-Alaye, a Yoruba town in
southwestern Nigeria. It once stood in the
central courtyard holding impluvia, containers for collecting
rainwater. After a fire destroyed much of the palace complex in 1912,
the Oba (chief) commissioned 20 new veranda posts from Agbonbiofe,
known today as one of the greatest carvers from the Ekiti region of
Yorubaland.
For the palace setting, Agbonbiofe and his assistants made posts that
represented strength and power. This one depicts a bearded warrior with
spear and sword, symbols of the Oba, supported by a maternity
figure with a baby in her arms. The position of male and female in this
case acknowledges the Yoruba's respect for and dependence upon women for
nourishment, spiritual strength and political guidance.
Issues
to Consider