Female Figure
- Date
- 19th century
- Material
- Wood, fiber, beads
- associated with
- Ila-Orangun, Osun state, Nigeria, Africa
- Classification
- Sculpture, wood
- Collection
- Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 117
- Dimensions
- 11 3/4 x 3 1/4 x 2 3/4 in. (29.8 x 8.3 x 7 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Jeffrey and Jackie Hammer
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 54:2009
NOTES
A crested, long-tailed hairstyle identifies this figure as a follower of Eshu, the Yoruba trickster god who mediates between gods and men. Vessels made from dried gourds and calabashes appear in each of the figure’s hands and along her ponytail in reference to containers of medicine symbolizing Eshu’s powers. The worn, smooth features of the figure’s face suggest constant care and handling over time by an attentive Eshu devotee who sought to calm the god’s unpredictable whims for better outcomes. Bogunjoko of Ila-Orangun was the first artist documented in a distinguished lineage of Yoruba carvers who continue making sculpture in Nigeria today.
Provenance
early 1960s -
Dr. Milton Gross, Brooklyn, NY, USA [1]
1968 - 2009
Dr. Jeffrey and Jackie Hammer, Edwardsville, IL [2]
2009 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Dr. Jeffrey Hammer and Jackie Hammer [3]
Notes:
[1] In an email dated January 25, 2010 from Jackie Johnsen [Mrs. Jeffrey Hammer] to Matthew Robb of the Saint Louis Art Museum, Johnsen states this object was "Ex Collection Milton Gross. Acquired by him in the early 1960s" [SLAM document files].
[2] A note on the IRS form 8283 indicates this object was purchased in 1968 [SLAM document files].
[3] A Deed of Gift signed by Jeffrey Hammer on December 30, 2009 documents the gift of this object to the Saint Louis Art Museum [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, December 7, 2009.
Dr. Milton Gross, Brooklyn, NY, USA [1]
1968 - 2009
Dr. Jeffrey and Jackie Hammer, Edwardsville, IL [2]
2009 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Dr. Jeffrey Hammer and Jackie Hammer [3]
Notes:
[1] In an email dated January 25, 2010 from Jackie Johnsen [Mrs. Jeffrey Hammer] to Matthew Robb of the Saint Louis Art Museum, Johnsen states this object was "Ex Collection Milton Gross. Acquired by him in the early 1960s" [SLAM document files].
[2] A note on the IRS form 8283 indicates this object was purchased in 1968 [SLAM document files].
[3] A Deed of Gift signed by Jeffrey Hammer on December 30, 2009 documents the gift of this object to the Saint Louis Art Museum [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, December 7, 2009.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.