Oshe Shango Yoruba dance stick, Nigeria - Lot 49

Oshe Shango Yoruba dance stick, Nigeria Wood H. 56 cm Provenance - Charles Ratton (no label) Shango, the major deity (orisha) of the Yoruba pantheon in Nigeria, occupies a central place in the spirituality and imagination of this people. Associated with thunder, lightning and royal power, he embodies strength and authority. This remarkable female figure is depicted standing on a pedestal, in a hieratic posture of great elegance. With her arms at her sides and her hands delicately resting on her hips, her figure is harmoniously proportioned. The high, assertive bosom underscores the ideal of feminine beauty and grace typical of Yoruba aesthetics. The face, with its soft, balanced features, exudes a serene interiority. It is topped by a long, slender neck that accentuates the nobility of the whole. The characteristic, finely carved headdress is topped by a double axe, the emblematic attribute of Shango, still preserving traces of blue polychromy, probably obtained using lye blue, the pigment traditionally used. Carved from dark wood with a beautiful patina, this statuette was used in a ritual context, notably brandished during ceremonial dances. The finesse of its execution, combined with the spiritual presence it exudes, is a powerful testimony to the formal mastery and timeless elegance of Yoruba art.