- 24
Sommet de poteau de véranda, Yoruba Ekiti , Nigeria
Description
- Sommet de poteau de véranda, Yoruba Ekiti
- haut. 106 cm
- 41 3/4 in
Provenance
Condition
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
Selon William Fagg, conservateur en chef du département d'ethnologie au British Museum (1955 à 1974) et éminent spécialiste des arts Yoruba et des royaumes d'Ife et de Benin, qui a minutieusement examiné ce fragment, cette œuvre se rattacherait stylistiquement à la région située entre Efon-Alaye et Osi-Ilorin, en pays Ekiti. Par comparaison avec l'histoire de l'art de cette région, il estime qu'elle aurait été sculptée aux environs de 1850.
A la sûreté de son jugement sur la très grande qualité de l'œuvre - "certainement, en dépit des dégâts qu'elle a subis, l'un des plus beaux exemples de l'art Yoruba que je connaisse" (Fagg, 1978) - Fagg oppose la difficulté d'en préciser avec certitude la signification. Néanmoins l'hypothèse la plus évidente, renforcée par l'encoche creusée sur la coiffe, est qu'il s'agit d'un sommet de pilier de véranda de palais royal. William Fagg la compare, en raison de son iconographie - sujet reposant sur une tête - à un poteau de véranda attribué à Agbobiofe Adesina (mort en 1940), grand maître sculpteur du Palais d'Efon Alaaye (ouest du pays Ekiti), provenant de l'ancienne collection Joseph Mueller et aujourd'hui conservé au Musée du Quai Branly (RMN, 1997 : 52). Selon Fagg "il est très possible qu'Agbobiofe Adesina ait hérité cette pratique de ses maîtres du XIXe siècle, et que la sculpture présentée ici provienne en réalité du palais d'Efon".
A Yoruba Ekiti post finial from a palace veranda, Nigeria
Having conducted a thorough examination of this post fragment, William Fagg, the Keeper of Ethnology at the British Museum (1955 – 1974) and eminent specialist in the art of the Yoruba and the kingdoms of Ife and Benin, suggested that it came from the region between Efon-Alaye and Osi-Ilorin in the Ekiti country. Based on his knowledge of the region's art and history, Fagg determined that it is likely the post was carved around 1850.
Whilst certain of the piece's considerable quality – 'in spite of the damage which it has suffered it is one of the finest examples of Yoruba art of which I am aware' (Fagg, 1978) – Fagg noted that it was difficult to say with any certainty what the piece was actually for. The most obvious hypothesis seems to be that the fragment was the top of a veranda post from the royal palace. Considering the iconography of a figure sat upon another's head, Fagg compared this fragment to a veranda post formerly in the collection of Josef Müller and now in the musée du Quai Branly (RMN. 1997: 52), which is attributed to Agbobiofe Adesina (d. 1940), the great master carver at the palace of Efon Alaaye in the west of the Ekiti country. According to Fagg it is very possible that Agbobiofe Adesina inherited this particular iconography from the master carvers of the 19th century, and that the offered lot also comes from the Efon palace.