Figural post
1 of 3
Object Label
Figural posts such as this one stood in an àfin (“palace”) or shrine. They held up verandas, supported courtyard openings, or served as screens. Like Māori lintels, such posts were part of symbolic ornamental ensembles. Yorùbá sculptors carved images to support the rule of their royal patrons. Departing from everyday life, where clothing was required, the woman’s nudity reflects the sacredness of her kneeling pose. The equestrian warrior ( jangunjangun) she supports carries a knife and now-missing spear, emblems that embody his àṣẹ (life force). The carving style suggests it was made in Èkìtì State, though the origins of this post continue to be researched. Like the Turner Towers block, rain has eroded its surface. Especially since the 1940s, new trends in the forms and functions of àfins eliminated many courtyards and their posts.
Caption
Yorùbá artist. Figural post, late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, pigment, 62 3/4 x 8 1/2 x 6 in. (159.4 x 21.6 x 15.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Allen A. Davis, 82.154.2. Creative Commons-BY
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Culture
Title
Figural post
Date
late 19th or early 20th century
Geography
Place made: possibly Èkìtì State, Nigeria
Medium
Wood, pigment
Classification
Dimensions
62 3/4 x 8 1/2 x 6 in. (159.4 x 21.6 x 15.2 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Allen A. Davis
Accession Number
82.154.2
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
Frequent Art Questions
Where did these come from?
These houseposts are a pair and were cared by a Yoruba artist. You may have read this on the label but if not, it is important to know that these figures represent the individuals who support and uphold the leader in his office.Did they symbolize wealth? Or were they common household pieces?They were common among the wealthy. They often supported the verandas of distinguished places such as important shrines or the dwellings of kings, titled elders, and priests so they would not be commonplace for all Yoruba people.If at any point today you head up to the 5th floor, there are houseposts on view from the Kwakwaka’wakw people of North America that differ greatly from those Yoruba posts.
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