Description
This figure of a horse and rider is related to the Ògbóni society, whose responsibilities include the burial of titleholders and leaders and the judgment and punishment of criminals. A counterweight to the authority of the king, it is also responsible for the selection, installation, and removal of rulers. Probably once forming a pair with a female figure, the equestrian symbolized the king’s male ancestors.
Provenance
(Lucien van de Velde, Antwerp, Belgium, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (?–2007); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (2007–)
Accession Number
2007.160
Medium
Copper alloy
Dimensions
with base: 34.3 x 10.8 x 25.4 cm (13 1/2 x 4 1/4 x 10 in.); without base: 31.3 x 10.8 x 25.4 cm (12 5/16 x 4 1/4 x 10 in.)
Classification
Sculpture
Credit Line
Alma Kroeger Fund
