Oba’s Beaded Crown (adénlá) / Artist Unknown, African, Yoruba Peoples Nigeria
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1997/1.306
- Title
- Oba’s Beaded Crown (adénlá)
- Artist Nationality
- Nigerian
- Medium and Support
- glass beads, cotton fabric, raffia palm
- Object Creation Date
- 1925-1975
- Object Creation Place
- Africa (continent)
- Nigeria (nation)
- Creation Place 1
- Africa (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- Nigeria (nation)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Dr. James and Vivian Curtis
- Dimensions
- 84 cm x 20 cm x 20 cm (33 1/16 in. x 7 7/8 in. x 7 7/8 in.)
- Century
- Mid-20th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Costume and Costume Accessory
- Primary Object Type
- crown
- Physical Description
- Beaded, veil fringed, canonical crown; seven long beaded tassles dangle from the bottom rim of the crown; entire surface area is embroidered with multi-colored seed beads; three tiers of colorful faces surround the perimeter; a series of three dimensional birds perch on top of the crown; the largest bird sits on tip and is removable.
- Subject Matter
- Oba’s wear royal crowns on state occasions. Its conical shape emphasizes the Yoruba ruler’s otherworldly presence on earth while subsuming his human identity. A cone—a flattened triangle—acts as a metaphorical device that takes the spirit world of above and channels it downward into the inner space of the ruler’s head. Yoruba philosophy contends that a ruler’s destiny, source or authority, and power all stem from his head. Hence, head beautification and protection are among the most important priorities in Yoruba royal arts.
- Secondary Keywords
- accessories worn on the head
- animals and creatures
- aristocracy
- associated concepts
- beads and sets of beads
- biological components
- components
- components and systems
- components by specific context
- costume
- costume accessories
- costume accessories worn
- crown (headdress)
- descriptors
- groups of people
- headgear
- heads
- nobility
- object genres
- object genres by form
- objects we use
- people
- people (agents)
- people and culture
- political concepts
- social classes
- social classes by specific type
- social groups
- social science concepts
- the human body
- upper body
- upper class
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 772 x 1458
- File Size
- 96 KB
- Record
- 1997/1.306
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1997-sl-1.306/1997_1.306.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
Portfolios
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1997-SL-1.306:1997_1.306.JPG
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"Oba’s Beaded Crown (adénlá); Artist Unknown, African, Yoruba Peoples Nigeria." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1997-sl-1.306/1997_1.306.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 23, 2024.
