CC0 · no rights reserved
Altar figure (onílé)
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
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.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineAltar figure (onílé), possibly 1700s. Africa, West Africa, Nigeria, Yorùbá-style maker. Copper alloy; 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.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Alma Kroeger Fund, 2007.160
