Royal Cap (Orikogbofo)
Yoruba
20th century
Medium
Glass, cloth, and string
Dimensions
19.7 × 19.7 × 22.3 cm (7 3/4 × 7 3/4 × 8 3/4 in.)
Classification
hat
Department
Arts of Africa
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
229893
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Brilliantly colorful, Yoruba crowns and hats feature strands of tiny glass beads sewn on a cloth base. These glass beads normally distinguish worshippers of different orisa, or deities: white beads are worn by Obatala worshipers, black and red by Esu worshipers, red and white by Sango, green by Ifa, and so on. The presence of a full spectrum of colors on royal crowns thus visibly demonstrates that in the person of the Oba, or king, all religious groups are united. The makers of orikobofo are lib...