King’s Beaded Staff (Primary Title)
Unknown (Artist)
Revealing an important Yoruba concept—that civic order depends on a balance between male and female authority—the equestrian figure at the top of this staff has its counterpart in the four birds on the lower tier, which symbolize the king’s female counselors.
The Yoruba reserve the use of beads for royalty, priests and priestesses, and the embellishment of ritual and ceremonial objects. Only kings are permitted to use the full range of beaded regalia: crowns, fans, flywhisks, canes, ceremonials staffs, necklaces, footwear, thrones, footrests, footstools, and entire garments.
Arthur and Margaret Glasgow Fund
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
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