Yoruba Ivory Trumpet (Oliphant), 1850 CE - 1920 CE
ivory
32
DA.695 (LSO)
This superbly elegant ivory trumpet – more properly an oliphant – shows the influence and designs characteristic of the Yoruba (and Benin) polities of Nigeria. The overall form is diagnostically...
This superbly elegant ivory trumpet – more properly an oliphant – shows the influence and designs characteristic of the Yoruba (and Benin) polities of Nigeria. The overall form is diagnostically plain, with the top two thirds of total length (towards the tip) being plain and unadorned except for the glossy patination of age and use wear. The bottom third is decorated with successive simple then complex geometric banding with hatching, straight lines and block patterns, all contained within transverse plain lines. The depressed areas are dark with patination and make the patterns stand out more prominently.
The Yoruba peoples of Nigeria have what is probably the longest extant artistic tradition in Africa. The nation state is comprised of numerous subsections that were joined historically by the rise and collapse of the Ife (12th to 15th centuries) and Benin (13th to 19th centuries) polities. The sub-kingdoms – including Oyo, Ijebu and smaller units towards the west – are loosely united through language and culture, although they still retain a measure of independence which is particularly strong in terms of artistic tradition.
The Yoruba are ruled by hereditary kings known as Obas, and possess a deeply established aristocracy and social order that is reflected in their artworks. Yoruba craftsmen went to great lengths to honour those in authority, partly as a devotional device and partly for social advancement. The value of the piece can usually be determined by the quality of the workmanship and the worth of the raw material. In Yoruba terms, ivory was the most valuable of all materials, and the Oba had automatic entitlement to one tusk (and the first refusal to buy the other) of every elephant killed. Consequently, ivory pieces always have something of a noble pedigree.
Both Benin and Yoruba courts used flamboyant regalia such as this in their setting of the royal environment. Tusks were usually arched over the thrones in Yoruba courts, while cast brass heads were used as heavy bases to hold valuable tusks for the Bini people. Pieces such as this would also have served their role, albeit more musical, in the Yoruba court. The restraint with which it has been carved and the evident care with which it has been treated over a long period of time make it stand out against more ornate but yet less impressive models from alter periods.
This is a truly impressive piece of African art.
The Yoruba peoples of Nigeria have what is probably the longest extant artistic tradition in Africa. The nation state is comprised of numerous subsections that were joined historically by the rise and collapse of the Ife (12th to 15th centuries) and Benin (13th to 19th centuries) polities. The sub-kingdoms – including Oyo, Ijebu and smaller units towards the west – are loosely united through language and culture, although they still retain a measure of independence which is particularly strong in terms of artistic tradition.
The Yoruba are ruled by hereditary kings known as Obas, and possess a deeply established aristocracy and social order that is reflected in their artworks. Yoruba craftsmen went to great lengths to honour those in authority, partly as a devotional device and partly for social advancement. The value of the piece can usually be determined by the quality of the workmanship and the worth of the raw material. In Yoruba terms, ivory was the most valuable of all materials, and the Oba had automatic entitlement to one tusk (and the first refusal to buy the other) of every elephant killed. Consequently, ivory pieces always have something of a noble pedigree.
Both Benin and Yoruba courts used flamboyant regalia such as this in their setting of the royal environment. Tusks were usually arched over the thrones in Yoruba courts, while cast brass heads were used as heavy bases to hold valuable tusks for the Bini people. Pieces such as this would also have served their role, albeit more musical, in the Yoruba court. The restraint with which it has been carved and the evident care with which it has been treated over a long period of time make it stand out against more ornate but yet less impressive models from alter periods.
This is a truly impressive piece of African art.