Ìjókòó or Àpótí Èṣù (stool for an Èṣù priest or priestess),

late 19th–early 20th century

<p>The Yoruba peoples of southwestern Nigeria and southeastern Benin have a pantheon of gods, or orisa, who play critical roles in daily and religious life. Esu, or Esu-Elegba, is one of the most popular deities, and also one of the most conniving. Often characterized as the trickster god or even as a devil, Esu is a master of deception and subterfuge. Shrines to honor and appease him are found at crossroads, entrances, and other places where people make decisions about the future. To control impending disorder, Esu’s devotees make offerings in recognition of the power of the orisa.</p> <p>The stool carved for an Esu priest or priestess is from the region of Igbomina in the Oro area of southwestern Nigeria. The owner likely used the stool when casting kola nuts to help determine Esu’s demands of a particular client. Supplicants instructed to make offerings to the orisa would pour alcohol, organic materials, and animal blood on the surface of the stool. The caked, mud-like patina consists of numerous layers visible to the eye; in some areas plant matter can be detected. The stool’s blackened color is itself symbolic, as black is one of the colors associated with Esu. In addition to its use as a seat in ritual contexts, the stool would have been kept on an altar or shrine as a focal point of devotion. Carved from a single block of wood, the stool’s technical virtuosity is particularly striking. Its architectural construction and dense narrative structure is reminiscent of large-scale verandah posts found on Yoruba palace architecture. The columns of figures are masterfully controlled within the limited space. The narrower oval top is linked to the broader oval base by a thin central pole. Five columns with figural carvings circle the outer edge of the stool and create visible openwork spaces between the columns and the support pole. Four columns have two registers; the focal column has three, with the middle register occupied by Esu wearing his characteristic elongated headdress. Above Esu stands a man carrying a headless cock in the crook of his left arm and a closed calabash in his right hand. Esu himself balances on a stool and holds a razor in his right hand, ready to shave the head of the figure crouching between his legs. Flanking the lower register stand two musicians, a flute player and a whistle blower. Each musician is surmounted by a man with a dance hook or ceremonial sash over his shoulder. Both men grasp the arm of the adjacent female figure, while the women press their palms off of one another, at the same time balancing on the heads of two wrestlers about to start their match below. </p> <p>Each angle of this complex work offers insight into the deity’s power and potential for disruption. Especially remarkable is the way that the object conceptually inserts Esu into future events through the depiction of incipient action. The narrative that circles the interior support column captures a moment in time when feet balance on heads, wrestlers lean into their opponents, and musicians blow into wind instruments. The observer, following the sculptor’s visual clues, animates the stool and plays out Esu’s role as an instigator of chaos. Scenes from ritual life demonstrate ways in which one can properly acknowledge the deity, thereby staving off disorder and tumult. <br> </p>