AFRICAN YORUBA COLONIAL MARIONETTE PUPPET EX POOLOS PUBLISHED BY IRWIN HERSEY

Description

A Superb Colonial Yoruba Marionette Figure - Nigeria
Early-Mid 20th Century
Wood, cloth, tacks, pigment, patina
Height: 54.6cm (21.5in)
PROVENANCE:
Estate of Nick Poolos and the Adeon Gallery, Chicago, IL
EXHIBITED:
New York, New York, The Tribal Arts Gallery, The Challenge of African Imagery, Part 1, May 1- June 30, 1975
University of Central Missouri, McClure Archives Museum, Sacred: The Ritual Arts Africa, January 8-March 9, 2018, Cat No. 17.1.2
PUBLISHED:
Hersey, Irwin. “The Challenge of African Imagery". African Arts, vol 9, no 2, UCLA, 1976, p 68
*Documentation on file and can accompany the artwork for historical conservation purposes
Description: Colonial marionette, of articulated human form, wearing open blouse, gingham skirt and wood bead necklace, pierced globular eyes above horizontal facial scarification, all beneath an indigo dyed cotton coiffure.
Provenance: The subject colonial marionette displays a traditional Yoruba carving style and formerly of the Poolos Collection, Chicago, IL. The artifact was reviewed and published by internationally renowned tribal arts expert Irwin Hersey in 1975. Nick Poolos (1935-2011) was a known antiquities dealer and owner of the Adeon Gallery on Michigan Avenue. After his passing, the marionette was sold by the Poolos Family along with several other artifacts from the gallery collection. Curatorial Remarks: Surface wear commensurate with age and use.
The arts of the Yoruba are as numerous as their deities, and many objects are placed on shrines to honor the gods and the ancestors. Beautiful sculpture abounds in wood and brass and the occasional terracotta. Varied masking traditions have resulted in a great diversity of mask forms (McIntyre and Roy, 1998). African puppets are essentially used as an entertainment medium, however, many also play an important role in religious ventures and maintaining social control. According to Smithsonian Museum of African Art Specialist Marietta Joseph, although most have a limited range of movement, dramatic puppet performances are used “for instruction, in celebration of harvests, initiations or funerals, and satiric commentaries on topics of concern in the community” (Joseph, 1982). The subject colonial marionette attests to the artistic abilities of the Yoruba and was used to animate and communicate themes that promote social cohesion.
Cf. Lempertz, African and Oceanic Art, Sale 1063, January 26, 2016, Brussels, Belgium, Lot 38 for a similar example
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