Attributed to an unidentified Ketu master (active mid-19th century)
Yoruba
Nigeria
Coastal West Africa
Esu Dance Staff (Ogo Elegbara)
INV-1178
Attributed to an unidentified Ketu master (active mid-19th century)
Yoruba
Nigeria
Coastal West AfricaMid–late 19th century
Esu Dance Staff (Ogo Elegbara)
Attributed to an unidentified Ketu master (active mid-19th century) Yoruba Nigeria Coastal West Africa →yorubaArts of AfricaCoastal West Africaafrican Artsculpturewood
Date
Mid–late 19th century
Medium
Wood
Dimensions
49.6 × 17.8 × 22.9 cm (19 1/2 × 7 × 9 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Anne R. Whipple and Jay Whipple in memory of Anne's son, W. Philip McNulty III
This dance staff for the deity Eshu depicts a warrior flanked by a bound captive and a nursing mother. This work was made during a turbulent period of civil war. The warrior’s cap is depicted as a crooked phallus, which is a symbol of Eshu—the divine messenger, facilitator, and provocateur—and allows for the staff to be hooked over the shoulder.
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