These two finely cast Edan Ogboni figures depict a male and female with raised elbows, each mounted on a short staff. Once connected to each other by a chain attached to the top of the figures' heads, they would originally have been draped over an Ogboni society member's shoulder as a visible insignia of rank. Part of the original chain remains attached to the male figure. Displaying the characteristics of eighteenth to early nineteenth-century Yoruba castings, these are early examples of Edan Ogboni figures.
Pair of fine figures that are given to members of the Yoruba Ogboni society at their initiation. Members of the Ogboni society, a powerful socio-religious institution, include traditional leaders, dignitaries of local religious cults, court officials and district chiefs.
Estimated Period: 18th/Early 19th Century
Ex Private Collection, Switzerland
Ex Galerie Walu 1992, Zurich
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