Yoruba Janus-Headed Sceptre

Creator

Preview

Creation Date

Probably early 20th c.

Culture

Yoruba people

Medium

Wood

Dimensions

15 3/4 x 3 x 2 1/2 in ( 40.01 x 7.62 x 6.35 cm)

2 oz. (50 g)

Credit Line

Bequest of David P. Harris ('46), 2020

Accession Number

2020.4

Provenance

Purchased by David P. Harris ('46) from United Nations Gift Center, in New York on March 7, 1976. Previously from the collection of Sanford Griffith (1893-1974).

References

Brad Hostetler, with Ani Parnagian, "From Private to Public: The Collection of David P. Harris," in Ethiopian Objects in the Blick-Harris Study Collection: Art, Context, and the Persistence of Form, eds. Brad Hostetler, and Lynn Jones, Peregrinations: Journal of Medieval Art & Architecture 8, no. 1 (Spring 2022): 5–25. https://digital.kenyon.edu/perejournal/vol8/iss1/1/

Description

The Yoruba scepter of well-patinated brown wood displays the double ace above the Janus heads, suggesting Shango-cult origin of the piece. There is a hole at the bottom of the two axes, perhaps used for suspending decorations. There is evidence of indigo pigment on the faces; the handle is heavily incised in a variety of patterns and terminates with a half-ring opening.