Lot n° 64
Estimation :
8000 - 12000
EUR
Result with fees
Result
: 9 100EUR
Oshe Shango Yoruba - Lot 64
Oshe Shango Yoruba
Nigeria
Wood, pigments
Late 19th - early 10th century
Height: 33 cm
Eugène Betra base
Provenance: Private collection, Belgium
Private collection, Belgium
Private collection, France
Olivier Larroque, Nîmes
Richard Vinatier Collection, Avignon (inv. n°149)
Bibliography:
Object published in Danse avec Shango, dieu du thonnerre, Richer Xavier, Joubert Hélène, Somogy, Paris, 2018, p.78 and 79.
Shango, god of lightning and thunder, stands out among the many Orisha deities of the Yoruba pantheon for his remarkable power. A protean entity, taking on the identities of man, king or nature spirit, he embodies one of the many spiritual forms deployed to radiate the grandeur and power of Olodumare, supreme god of Yoruba mythology. Alongside Ogun, god of iron, war and hunting, Shango represents Olodumare's "wrath".
The legend behind the cult recounts that Shango, a military general, became the fourth king of the Yoruba empire of Oyo. Fascinated by magic, he created lightning, but accidentally caused considerable damage, including the death of his own children and wives. At the end of his days, terrifying thunder storms appeared, interpreted as the wrath of this fallen king, who was then deified as an orisha.
Among the attributes conferred on Shango, the Oshe scepters express, in the words of Hélène Joubert, "the creative power of sculptors inspired by Shango's inexhaustible vitality." (Dance with Shango, God of Thunder, 2018). They display a double iconography, linked to the figure of the orante and that of the divinity. The female figure is shown kneeling on a circular base, holding a gourd-shaped rattle in her left hand and an offering bowl in her right. The face is dominated by large hemmed eyes with finely incised lids and a mouth with thick lips. The dome-shaped headdress is topped by the stylized double-axe adu ara emblem attributed to Shango.
The ensemble is enhanced by the superb blue hues on the headdress and axe, as well as by highlights of osun - a mixture of camwood powder, laterite (red earth) and shea butter. Ritual use is evidenced by the beautiful old honey-tinted lacquer patina, as well as by the many traces of wear.
Yoruba daily life is shaped and interpreted through the power of the orishas, and each deity is celebrated for several weeks. These sticks, part of the ritual accessories during dances and songs in honor of Shango, were brandished above the head to provoke his clemency.
Our object stands out for the touching emotion of its curves, whose shiny patina and traces of plaster underline its ritual importance. In contrast to the power and unpredictability of the Shango deity, the impression of refinement and softness conveyed by the modelling perfectly reflects the care given to these individual sculptures, accompanying "the experience of a direct encounter with the god of thunder." (Richer Xavier, Joubert Hélène, Danse avec Shango, Dieu du tonnerre, 2018)
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