The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 25, 2024

Dance Wand for Ṣàngó (osé Ṣàngó)

Dance Wand for Ṣàngó (osé Ṣàngó)

c. 1930s
Wood, glass beads, colorant, and natural fiber
Overall: 38.7 cm (15 1/4 in.)
Gift of Katherine C. White 1974.207
Location: not on view

Description

Dancewands for the thundergod Shango celebrate the power and presence of the divinity. Renowned for his fiery temper, Shango was a powerful warrior king later identified with the thunderous roar and flashing lightning of the storm. The double-bladed stone blade, a key symbol of Shango, is shown at the top. The kneeling female is a follower of Shango. The position of Shango's symbol on the worshipper's head alludes to possession trance when god's spirit enters an individual's inner, spiritual head uniting devotee and deity. The scarification patterns on the double blade repeat on the woman's cheeks to suggest the humanity of the god and the sacredness of the devotee.
  • ?–no later than 1968
    Gallery 43, London
    at least 1968–1974
    Katherine (Reswick Merkel) C. White
    1974–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art by gift
    Provenance Footnotes
    1 Memorandum from William D. Wixom to Ursula Korneitchouk and Del Gutridge. 12/18/74. CMA Archives
    2 In Africa Tribal Images (1968) as no. 119a
  • Year in Review: 1974. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 11-April 6, 1975).
    CMA 1975: "Year in Review 1974," CMA Bulletin LXII (March, 1975), p. 98, no. 28
    CMA 1968: "African Tribal Images: The Katherine White Reswick Collection," cat. no. 119a, repr.
  • {{cite web|title=Dance Wand for Ṣàngó (osé Ṣàngó)|url=false|author=|year=c. 1930s|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1974.207