CC0 · no rights reserved
Bracelet
From the collection of National Museum of African Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
This bracelet, one of a pair, may have been part of the regalia of the Olowo of Owo, a Yoruba king. The motifs evoke the spiritual forces that shape the world and are controlled by the ruler. The head with creatures issuing from the nostrils suggests the loosing of inner spiritual forces. Similarly the fish-legged figure is a being that transcends the realms of land and water and symbolizes Olokun, god of the sea.
National Museum of African Art’s own descriptionSubjects
Credit lineBracelet. 16th-18th century. Yoruba artist. National Museum of African Art, Gift of Walt Disney World Co., a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. CC0.
