This container is meant to rest near the Oba's pillow, as part of his royal paraphernalia. It resembles the Oba's crown (Adenla) in shape and imagery. On the lower portion...
This container is meant to rest near the Oba's pillow, as part of his royal paraphernalia. It resembles the Oba's crown (Adenla) in shape and imagery. On the lower portion or base are four frontal faces alternating green and orange as the primary color. In between are rosettes also of red/orange and green. They continue on the upper, sloping sides in a variety of colors, with single leaves positioned around the middle rim. The most striking aspect is the “crown” of birds, comprising four bird-heads and a large one on top, each with hooked beaks of metal. Elegant in shape with wings of yellow and a long trailing tail of white strands, this charming avian is the "royal bird", much admired by the Yoruba. Birds are symbols of the "witches of the night" and the power of women, which both diviners and kings must be on good terms with in order to work their magic and to rule. By interweaving a multitude of colors with vigorous designs the artist has given this container a vibrant sense of energy, of light and dark, of coolness and warmth in perfect relationship to each other.