Two headed Crocodile

NameAdinkira Stamp

CultureYoruba

Datec.2002

(not assigned)Osogbo, Nigeria, Africa

MediumCalabash, wood, leather, thread

Dimensions3 15/16 × 2 3/4 × 2 3/4 in. (10 × 7 × 7 cm)

Credit LineMuseum of International Folk Art, gift of Victoria Scott, A.2015.17.4

Object numberA.2015.17.4

ProvenanceBackground on the Victoria Scott Collection of Oshogbo Art As a young graduate in art history, Victoria Scott moved with her husband, a psychiatrist and an Englishman, to Nigeria where he took a position at the University of Ibadan. They lived there for 10 years, throughout the 1970s (1969 – 1980). During this period in the 1960s and 70s, Oshogbo, a small trading town in Nigeria, became a vibrant artistic center in which a number of young artists fused traditional and contemporary art forms and techniques, experimenting with this new, fairly cohesive style for a global audience. They were supported and championed in these endeavors by Ulli Beier, a professor at the University of Ibadan, who established a series of workshops with Western artists, most notably Georgina Beier and Suzanne Wenger. While living in Ibadan, Vikki became deeply interested in the cosmopolitan art scene in nearby Oshogbo and struck up friendships with a number of the artists. She bought their artwork. She describes the early period of the country’s independence as an exciting, hopeful, free time. The artists were enamored with the idea of finding a contemporary platform for exploring traditional Yoruba/West African identity through art, theatre, and literature. Some achieved international acclaim and their work has been documented and collected widely, Acquisition Proposal, 11/2014

DescriptionTextile stamp with images of two crossed crocodiles. The stamp's handle consists of five slim pieces of wood. The four inset at corners slant to a center piece. All are covered with a small piece of hide, tied with thread.