Coronet (Orikògbòfóor Onigegemerin)

YorubaWW-1925-049188

1925·Glass beads, cloth, iron, and thread·22.9 × 20.4 × 20.4 cm (9 × 8 × 8 in.)

<p>Once installed in royal office, a Yoruba ruler must never be seen with an uncovered head. For sacred occasions, the ruler wears an elaborate cone-shaped beaded crown. However, he usually also owns a selection of less elaborate beaded hats for daily use. Because they are not produced for ceremonial purposes—and thus need not reflect the sacred world—such hats demonstrate a great range of artistic styles. This hat resembles a British coronet, with clusters of beads on the ridges imitating gems.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1925
Medium: Glass beads, cloth, iron, and thread
Dimensions: 22.9 × 20.4 × 20.4 cm (9 × 8 × 8 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Yoruba

Artist

Yoruba

Textile

Yoruba is an Atlantic–Congo language that is spoken in West Africa, primarily in South West Nigeria, Benin, and parts of Togo. It is spoken by the Yoruba people. Yoruba speakers number roughly 50 million, including around 2 million second-language or L2 speakers. As a pluricentric language, it is primarily spoken in a dialectal area spanning Nigeria, Benin, and Togo with smaller migrated communities in Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone and Gambia.

Full artist profile →