Female Yoruba Shango Cult "Oshun" Priestess Figure - 22" H X 5" W
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$1,895.00
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$1,895.00
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- $1,895.00
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This wooden piece depicts a female and is referred to as an Oshun Figure. She is kneeling on a rounded base and arms down at her side with fingered hands holding an offering container with geometric carved designs. Her neck is high and wide with several bracelets on both wrists. There are tribal scarification marks on the forehead and on the sides of the mouth. The top of the head has a high elaborate hair style with spaced incised lines and two side extensions; the hair style has been painted a black color with a blue powder on the sides and back.
The wooden figure is of the African Yoruba people of Nigeria. Shango is the Yoruba god of thunder. The cones on the sides of the hair style represent a double-headed battle-ax. Shango is represented as a female oshun priestess and is commonly called the river goddess. She is considered one of the most powerful of all orishas and possesses human attributes such as vanity, jealousy and spite. In most Yoruba stories, she is generally depicted as the protector, savior or nurturer of humanity; she is also said to be one of the wives of Shango, the god of thunder.
Resting on a square black wooden base and would be perfect for a range of décor styles from Mid-Century Modern, Global-Inspired... to Contemporary, California Casual or Coastal Modern.
Place of Origin: Nigeria
Date of Manufacture: 1950s-1960s
Condition: Excellent
Wear: There are chips and a crack on the back of figure which are consistent with age. Please refer to the pictures.
Dimensions:
Carving: 21 in. H X 5.25 in. W X 5.75 in. D
Base: 6.5 in. L X 6.5 in. W X 1.5 in. H
Total: 22.5 in. H
Reference:
Hearst Museum of Anthropology at University of California Berkeley
Spencer Museum of Art at the University of Kansas
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