<I>Wives of Sango</I>
date: label: Date
content: 1971
name: label: Created by
content: Jeff Donaldson, American, 1932 - 2004
label: Subject of
content: AfriCOBRA, founded 1968
notes: label: Caption
content: Wives of Sango depicts three women who are symbolic representations of deities in the Yoruba religion of Nigeria. They also are the wives of Sango—deity of fire, thunder, and justice. On the left is the orisha Oya, goddess of the Niger River, dynamism, tornadoes, feminine leadership, and justice. Oba, the central figure, is goddess of the Oba River. To the right is Osun, goddess of the Oshugbo River, who represents love, wealth, and fertility. Distinct in their own right, together, they share a common bond—the revolutionary battle to gain freedom from mental, social, and political oppression.
label: Caption
content: According to Donaldson, these orishas are a visualization of the present, an invitation to action, and a basis for hope in the future.
label: Description
content: This mixed media artwork by Jeff Donaldson shows the Wives of Sango. Three women are visible in the painting. The woman in the center is facing outward dressed in white. The other two women are in 3/4 profile facing either side of the frame. The woman on the left is dressed in shades of red and pink with a silver-colored diamond patterned neckline with small cutouts. The woman on the right is wearing a headband and is dressed in shades of green and yellow. All three women have gold- and silver-colored foil accents and are wearing weaponry including knives and ammunition belts. At the bottom in silver-colored foil is text that reads [OYA · OSUN / AND OBA WIVES OF SANGO]. At the center bottom is a double headed axe symbol. The artist signed the work at the bottom. The artwork is floating in a white frame.
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Africa
label: Topic
content: African diaspora
label: Topic
content: Art
label: Topic
content: Black power
label: Topic
content: Religion
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Visual Arts
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2017.33.1
objectType: label: Type
content: paintings
label: Type
content: mixed media
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: © Jeff Donaldson
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: paint, foil, and ink on cardboard
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (artwork): 36 1/4 × 25 9/16 in. (92 × 65 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D (frame): 38 1/16 × 27 7/16 × 1 3/4 in. (96.7 × 69.7 × 4.5 cm)