A large, kneeling woman carrying her child on her back and a sacrificial bowl in both hands. Among the Yoruba people these figurative compositions were placed in the shrines of the god Shango (the god of thunder) or his wife, the goddess Oya. They symbolise ‘devotees’ or priestesses who present these gods with sacrificial offerings. Visitors to the shrines place sacrificial offerings in their bowls. On a daily basis, in the houses of well-off families, these figures and their bowls are used to offer guests cola nuts.
The present ‘bowl bearer’ is unusually large and kneels on a thick, rounded plinth. She probably represents a priestess and is colourfully painted with imported colours (since the early 20th century colours imported from Europe have been widespread and popular in Nigeria). She displays a hairstyle made from five tall towering braids and all free areas of her skin – including her child on her back – are painted white. She bears customary tribal scarification marks on her face, shoulders and breasts. These are also, in parts, brightly coloured. Her eyes and ears are red, as are her child’s. Her mouth and skirt are painted green, whereas her eyelids, nostrils, decorative scarification marks on both shoulders and ornamental bangles on both arms are black. The child on her back wears a yellow cap. The sacrificial bowl on the front has a red rim and a relief on its front side.
It is overall a very carefully and skillfully crafted object, very much in the style of the region of the town of Oyo. It has some cracks due to age (on the front, on the right shoulder and on the plinth), as well as some colour abrasion in some exposed areas due to protracted use. It also has a good and in parts shiny usage patina. Height: 64 cm; width: 21 cm; depth: 23 cm. First half to mid-20th century. (ME)

Provenance:
German private collection.

Lit.:
'Yoruba. Nine Centuries of Art and Thought' by H. J. Drewal & J. Pemberton III., ill. 168; 'Yoruba. Sculpture of West Africa' by William Fagg & J. Pemberton III., ill. 34.