Antique African Veranda Post Depicting Mounted Warrior With Indigo Cap, C 1960s

Details

Description

Antique Nigerian (Yoruba) veranda post fragment depicting a warrior mounted on his horse. The subject holds the horse's reins and … Read more Antique Nigerian (Yoruba) veranda post fragment depicting a warrior mounted on his horse. The subject holds the horse's reins and sports an indigo cap, similar to those used on Ere Ibeji statues in the Yoruba tradition. The post sits on a an attractive square base covered in suede that was added in the United States after the piece was imported, most likely in the mid 20th century.

This piece likely served as an Òpó Ògògá, or veranda post, decorating a courtyard of a palace or distinguished family's residence. Similar (more elaborate) veranda Yoruba posts can be found in the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Cleveland Museum of Art (see links below). A defining feature is their rough bases (which rested on dirt, or were partially buried) rather than carved wooden bases. This piece shares some features of the more intricate example in the Cleveland Museum, which also depicts a mounted warrior holding his horse's reins.

The piece carriers it age well, with cracking and fading consistent with years of actual use out of doors in a Nigerian courtyard or porch area. Yoruba sculptures traditionally used Indigo dyes, but switched to cheaper blue colors (such as blue paint) in the late 19th century, according to various sources (including the Brooklyn Museum, reference below). This points to a carving date in the early to mid 20th century.

Provenance: From the private collection of a retired New York City collector who lived for roughly fifty years on Manhattan’s Upper West Side before relocating to Connecticut. Believed acquired some time between 1960 and 1970.

References

https://www.artic.edu/artworks/102611/veranda-post-opo-ogoga
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/317823
https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/objects/3898
https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/objects/194078
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1969.55 See less