Bowl bearer Figure – Arugba Shango – Wood – Yoruba – Nigeria

Female bowl bearer “arugba shango“.

Such large bowl-carrying figures were the principal sculpture found on `shango`shrines in Igbomina and Ekiti towns. In the bowl the devotees keep neolithic celts, thouhgt to be the thunderbolts which `shango` hurls in judgement upon those who do not acknowledge his authority in their lives. `Shango`represents the protective deity of the kings of old Oyo kingdom.

Wood, dark brown patina, remains red and indigo bluepigment, standing figure carrying a child on her back, with overlong arms, and head supporting a big bowl, accompanying figures: an image of `eshu`, with the flute as charactéristic adjunct and a quadruped with saucer-like hollowed back.

One of the most famous Divination (Ifa) is practiced to explain misfortunes and help to prevent them. The diviner, in consulting a diety, manipulates sixteen palm nuts, reads the patterns they form and marks the results on a divination board sprinkled with wood dust. The marks indicate verses that should be chanted as prayers. The bowls are used to hold kola nuts as offerings of hospitality or as receptacles for the sixteen sacred palm nuts used in divination.

Powerful appearance with great patina of use. Large and big object, total weight: 22 kg!

Provenance: Manfred Schäfer, former gallery owner from Ulm (Germany).

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