Armlet

between 16th and 18th century

Yoruba, African

On View

African: Fit for a King, Level 1, North Wing

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About the Artwork

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Markings

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Provenance

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Exhibition History

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Published References

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Catalogue Raisonné

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Credit Line for Reproduction

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About the Artwork

The king of Owo, a village in Nigeria, was traditionally the only person who could wear ivory ornaments. This ivory bracelet may have been worn by the king during Ore, an important ancient festival. The female heads may represent Olokun, the goddess of the sea, and the crocodiles may be sacrificial victims for her. The crocodile's ability to both walk on land and swim in water acts as a metaphor for kingship, as it is believed that kings also live in two realms: the world of ordinary life and the world of the gods and spirits.

Title Armlet

Artwork Date between 16th and 18th century

Artist ----------

Life Dates ----------

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. African

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. Yoruba

Medium Ivory

Dimensions Overall: 1 1/4 × 4 5/16 inches (3.2 × 11 cm)

Classification Jewelry

Department African Art

Credit Founders Society Purchase, Acquisitions Fund

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 80.42

Markings

Inscriptions ------

Provenance

Muller-Van Iterbeek (Brussels, Belgium)

Frederic Rolin [F. Rolin and Co.] (Brussels, Belgium)

1980-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

For more information on provenance and its important function in the museum, please visit:

Provenance page

Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

We welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.

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Published References

Art d'Afrique dans les Collections Belges. Musee Royal de l'Afrique Centrale. Tevuren, Belgium, 1963, no. 663.

African Ivories. Exh. cat., F. Rolin & Co. New York, 1978, no. 52.

Vogel, S.M. "African Ivoris, F. Rolin and Co.," African Arts, vol. 12, no. 1 (November 1978): p. 97.

Bulletin of the DIA 59, no. 4 (1981): p. 124 (ill.).

Brincard, M., ed. Beauty by Design. The African-American Institute, New York, Center for the Fine Arts, Miami, Florida, September 19, 1984 - March 17, 1985, C30 (ill.).

African Masterworks In The Detroit Institute of Arts. Washington and London: The Detroit Institute of Arts and Smithsonian Institution Press, 1995, cat. no. 31.

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