Attribution Incomplete Notice
Collections and items in our institution have incomplete, inaccurate, and/or missing attribution. We are using this notice to clearly identify this material so that it can be updated, or corrected by communities of origin. Our institution is committed to collaboration and partnerships to address this problem of incorrect or missing attribution.
Open to Collaborate Notice
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Artwork Details
Culture
Creation Date
Materials
Object Types
Dimensions
16-1/2 x 10-3/4 in. (w/tassels)
Accession Number
Credit Line
The Beeler Fund
Copyright
Collection
Color Palette
Provenance
Private Collection, Lomé, Togo, around 1975. Private Collection, New York in 1975; (Young Robertson Gallery, New York); purchased by the Indianapolis Museum of Art in 2012.
Gallery Labels
These elaborately decorated hats are symbols of Yoruba kingship. The imported velvet fabric and European metallic fringes and braids suggest that the hats were used during ceremonial and official events. The shape of the hats, possibly based on European liturgical hat styles, is reflected in its Yoruba name, which means "the dog-eared one."
The larger hat is decorated with chameleons, snakes, and crocodiles. The Yoruba considered the chameleon to be a sacred creature that possessed magical powers. It was forbidden to kill chameleons except for medicinal or ritualistic purposes.
Exhibition History
Exhibition Name
Venue
Dates
More from the Collection
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Metadata about the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s collection comes from Newfields’ records and research. In some cases, information may be incomplete and research is ongoing. Newfields’ goal is to have as up-to-date metadata as possible, therefore, this information is subject to change. Newfields collections’ metadata is available under a Creative Commons Zero (CC0) waiver, which allows for re-use without legal restrictions.
Artworks that appear in the image file(s) above may be in copyright or have other legal and/or cultural restrictions to their use. For clarity, Newfields does not claim copyright to the image files created by Newfields of artworks in the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s collection. Newfields makes every effort to ascertain the copyright status of artworks in the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s collection. Please refer to the RightsStatements.org statement above for information about the current copyright status of the artwork. Additionally, some artworks may include Local Context’s Notices or Labels that attribute cultural authority of the artwork’s heritage and data.
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