The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 19, 2025

Altar figure (onílé)

possibly 1700s

Africa, West Africa, Nigeria, Yorùbá-style maker

Copper alloy
with base: 34.3 x 10.8 x 25.4 cm (13 1/2 x 4 1/4 x 10 in.); without base: 31.3 x 10.8 x 25.4 cm (12 5/16 x 4 1/4 x 10 in.)
Alma Kroeger Fund 2007.160
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Images of horses and riders cast in copper alloy are rare among Yoruba sculptures.

Description

This figure of a horse and rider is related to the Ògbóni society, whose responsibilities include the burial of titleholders and leaders and the judgment and punishment of criminals. A counterweight to the authority of the king, it is also responsible for the selection, installation, and removal of rulers. Probably once forming a pair with a female figure, the equestrian symbolized the king’s male ancestors.
  • ?–2007
    (Lucien van de Velde, Antwerp, Belgium, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    2007–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Dobbelmann, Dr. Theo. A.H.M Het geheime Ogboni-genootschap: Een bronskultuur uit Zuid-West Nigeria. Exhibition catalogue. Berg en Dal, Netherlands: Afrika Museum, 1976: fig. 117, group 14.
    Herreman, Frank, ed. with contributions by Herman Burssens [et al.]. Material Differences: art and identity in Africa. Published in conjunction with an exhibition of the same title organized by the Museum for African Art, New York. New York: Museum for African Art; Snoeck-Ducaju & Zoon, 2003: 100, cat. 94.
    Jacob, Alain and Florin Dragu. Bronzes de l'afrique noir. ABC decor, ABC Collection Series. Pairs: C.P.I.P, 1974: 42.
    Roberts, Allen F. Animals in African Art: From the Familiar to the Marvelous. Published in conjunction with an exhibition of the same title organized by the Museum for African Art, New York: The Museum for African Art; Prestel-Verlag, 1995: 115, fig. 20.
    Witte, Hans, Dr. Earth and the Ancestors: Ogboni iconography. Catalogue of an exhibition. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Gallery Balolu, 1988: 94, 95, plate 24.
    Petridis, Constantine. "New Acquisitions of African Art at the Cleveland Museum of Art". African Arts. (44) No. 1, Spring 2011. Pg. 62, Fig. 9.
  • {{cite web|title=Altar figure (onílé)|url=false|author=|year=possibly 1700s|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2007.160