Òpó (Veranda Post) with Equestrian and Female Figures (Before 1938)

Òpó (Veranda Post) with Equestrian and Female Figures (Before 1938)

AP African American Studies Guide

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Topic 1.6

Olowe of Ise, Òpó (Veranda Post) made in Nigeria (Before 1938)

A stylized post of (from top to bottom) a bearded man atop a horse, held up by a woman.

 

Source: An òpó, or veranda post, with an equestrian and a female figure, created by Olowe of Ise, before 1938. (Image copyright © The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Image source: Art Resource, NY.)

 

From the Metropolitan Museum of Art: “This monumental work was one of a series of carved architectural supports designed for the exterior courtyard of a Yoruba palace. It was commissioned by a king from the most renowned master sculptor in the history of Yoruba art, Olowe of Ise.”