Royal Foot Cushion

no date

Yoruba, African

On View

African: Fit for a King, Level 1, North Wing

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Audio Transcript

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About the Artwork

The Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria consider beads indispensable in religious and political life because of their spiritual properties. Beads enable the worship of the deities, but in a leadership context, they are a quintessential medium that enhances and underscores the unique pedigree and spiritual endowment of Yoruba kings, who are regarded as semi-divine.

Consequently, bead-decorated regalia like crowns, tunics, flywhisks, and sandals communicate the ruler’s special status and wealth. This cushion, which a Yoruba king would have rested his foot on while seated in a ceremony, was part of such an ensemble. The interlace motif attests to his royal status, while the human face bearing distinctive vertical scars suggests the protective gaze of ancestors. The Yoruba inscription translates to “The crown that God wears, no human can remove,” further reinforcing the monarch’s divine status.

Title Royal Foot Cushion

Artwork Date no date

Artist ----------

Life Dates ----------

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. African

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. Yoruba

Medium Beads, leather, and wood?

Dimensions Overall: 9 × 5 1/2 inches (22.9 × 14 cm)

Classification Furniture

Department African Art

Credit Gift of the Honorable Jack Faxon

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 2014.1098

Markings

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Provenance

Hon. Jack Faxon (Birmingham, Michigan, USA);
2015-present, gift to the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

For more information on provenance, please visit:

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Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

We welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.

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