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Headdress (Jagún Jagún)

A work made of wood, iron, nails, fiber, and sacrificial materials.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of wood, iron, nails, fiber, and sacrificial materials.

Date:

Mid– late 19th century

Artist:

Yòrùbá
Ekiti region, Nigeria
Coastal West Africa

About this artwork

This imposing sculptural headdress would have been worn in masquerades honoring Ogun, the Yoruba god of iron, warfare, and technology. It was also part of a shrine where offerings of yams were applied to its surface. Ogun is depicted as a warrior on horseback who carries a shield with four human heads, possibly slain enemies. The smaller figure playing a flute represents Eshu, the divine messenger and god of human destiny.

Status

On View, Gallery 137

Department

Arts of Africa

Culture

Yoruba

Title

Headdress (Jagún Jagún)

Place

Nigeria (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1834–1900

Medium

Wood, iron, nails, fiber, and sacrificial materials

Dimensions

H.: 111.8 cm (44 in.)

Credit Line

The Art Institute of Chicago, Gift of Richard Faletti, the Faletti Family Collection

Reference Number

2000.314

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/155956/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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