Minneapolis Institute of Art
Warrior figure
Fon artistLinkedCulture matchlcp-346985a8ce7a
- Date
- early 20th century
- Medium
- Iron
- Culture
- Fon
- Department
- Arts of Global Africa
- Institution
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
- Object ID
- 48116
From the Minneapolis Institute of Art record
Note the stance: the left foot, sometimes called “the foot of Gu, ” in front of the right. Not a good sign if you’re an enemy—it suggests aggressiveness and readiness to act. The sword and bells are also associated with Gu, the god of iron, war, and technology, and in the 19th century they adorned life-size royal portraits to show the king’s association with Gu and his authority over life and death. Small welded figures like this one were placed on personal shrines to invoke Gu’s powers. Fon, Benin, Africa
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Provenance & credit
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- Credit line
- Gift of Curtis Galleries, Inc.
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