89
This section continues with a focused discussion
of the range of master nineteenth- and
twentieth-century Yoruba sculptors who trained
generations of celebrated, named artists. A selection
of the museum’s holdings by Olówè of
Ise are featured, including one of its two verifi ed
(and otherwise singular) bowls with independently
carved “rolling” heads (fi g. 5). Combining
this innovation with new forms, such as a
group of four dancing girls, the bowl is famed
as an example of Olówè’s creativity and daring.
The central gallery will be completed by an
examination of the process of artistic training
FIG. 4 (below left):
Headrest. Attributed to the workshop
of the Master of Mulongo (Luba artist).
Tanganyika Province, Democratic Republic
of the Congo.
Mid–late 19th century.
Wood, oil. H: 17.1 cm.
National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution,
museum purchase, inv. 86-12-14.
Photo: Franko Khoury.
FIG. 5 (below):
Bowl with fi gures. By Olówèof Ise (c.
1875–1938, b. Efon-Alaiye, Ekiti State,
Nigeria). Worked in Ise, Ekiti State, Nigeria.
C. 1925
Wood, pigment. H: 63.7 cm.
National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution,
bequest of William A. McCarty-Cooper, 95-10-1.
Photo: Franko Khoury.
A captivating Luba headrest attributed to the
workshop of the Master of Mulongo (fi g. 4) will
greet visitors to the entrance of this gallery. Labels
will address how its distinctive stylistic features
allow connoisseurs to connect it to other
works that came out of a mid-nineteenth century
atelier near Mulongo. Commissioned to preserve
intricate coiffures during sleep, its female
fi gures may represent vidye, the twin guardian
spirits of Luba royalty, who connected their
owner with spiritual realms while dreaming. It
is a vision of the artistic insights around which
the remainder of the exhibition pivots.
VISIONARY