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Crown (adéńlá)
1900s
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
The most important of all regalia, topped with the "royal bird" Okin, this headdress connects the king to Oduduwa, the mythical founder of the Yoruba. The veil of beaded strings masks the identity of the wearer and protects his subjects from the supernatural powers that radiate from his face. The crown also signifies the "inner head" of the king, the locus of an awesome life force called ase.
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Details
- Title: Crown (adéńlá)
- Date Created: 1900s
- Physical Dimensions: Diameter: 26.8 cm (10 9/16 in.); Overall: 105.9 cm (41 11/16 in.); Cone: 35.1 cm (13 13/16 in.); Fringe: 55.3 cm (21 3/4 in.)
- Provenance: (Douglas Dawson, Chicago)
- Type: Garment
- Rights: CC0
- External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1995.22
- Medium: Cloth (probably cotton and wool), glass beads, reeds, cardboard, wood, plant fiber, cotton, and quills
- Department: African Art
- Culture: Africa, West Africa, Nigeria, Yorùbá-style maker
- Credit Line: Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund
- Collection: African Art
- Accession Number: 1995.22
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