Lot 515

Yoruba Olumeye "One Who Knows Honor," ex-Art Institute

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Lot 515
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Yoruba Olumeye "One Who Knows Honor," ex-Art Institute
Yoruba Olumeye "One Who Knows Honor," ex-Art Institute
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Yoruba Olumeye "One Who Knows Honor," ex-Art Institute

Estimate: $800 - $1,200

Starting Bid: $400

(0 Bids)
by Artemis Fine Arts
July 30, 2026 8:00 AM MDT
Live Auction
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

Nigeria. Depicting a kneeling woman regarded as a messenger between the human and spiritual realms. She supports a lidded offering bowl in the form of a cockerel, while carrying a child upon her back bearing a large triangular amulet carved in relief. The child holds a Shango wand and an axe head, attributes of the Yoruba thunder deity, underscoring the sculpture's sacred significance. Both mother and child wear tall sagittal crest coiffures, the mother's deeply grooved and the child's decorated with striped carving enhanced by traces of indigo-blue pigment. The mother retains extensive white pigment, while the child is highlighted with indigo-blue coloration. An age crack extends along the reverse, and there is minor wormwear, surface wear, both consistent with age and use. The carved lid is slightly larger than the base and may have been a more recent replacement. 15.5" H (39.37 cm H).

Olúmeye figures were traditionally placed in shrines, where the bowl held offerings presented to deities or ancestral spirits. Similar sculptures were also used in royal courts, where the vessel contained kola nuts offered as a ceremonial gesture of hospitality to distinguished visitors.

Provenance: Previously owned by The Art Institute of Chicago. Inv. no. 1967.600a-b; ex Mr. and Mrs. Everett McNear, Chicago.

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Item # 72275

  • Condition: An age crack extends along the reverse, and there is minor wormwear, surface wear, both consistent with age and use. The carved lid is slightly larger than the base and may have been a more recent replacement.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $749 $25
$750 $1,499 $50
$1,500 $2,999 $100
$3,000 $7,499 $250
$7,500 $14,999 $500
$15,000 $29,999 $1,000
$30,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 + $10,000