AFO, SHANGO PEDESTAL 6, 16.5", $5000, Nigeria
Placed on altars dedicated to Shango, the Yoruba god of thunder, these objects that look like inverted mortars, depict Shango or devotees of Shango along with Shango's symbol, the double-headed axe. Shango is thought to control the great powers of nature as one of the orisha, or gods. They are all extremely heavy, of very dense wood, with only slight hollowing out on the bottom. We have included them in our stool exhibition because of their size and appearance; they seem appropriate as stools for a god.