man holding an accordion or concertina, unrecorded Yoruba artist

Exhibition Label:
"For Life's Sake: Arts from Africa," Oct-1983, Reinhild Kauenhoven Janzen
The accordion player is dressed in the apparel of a British colonist: a pith helmet, coat, bow tie, walking shorts and boots. On close view several layers of paint become apparent which suggest that the figure has been refurbished many times before its original function ceased. It may therefore well date from pre-independence days. The artist perhaps intended to portray a European, perhaps a missionary. On the other hand, the musician could represent a Yoruba man playing Meringue tunes, reflecting through his apparel and paraphrnalia--such as the Euoprean instrument--aspirations of a colonized people. The sculpture may have been used as a decor in a well-to-do Yoruba household or as a Shango shrine decoration. The pith helmet shows a thick encrustation, which may be the result of frequent libations expended over it.