Additional information
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Complex Opa Osanyin
Determining the age of Yoruba ironwork is difficult as the medium can oxidize rapidly if exposed to excessive moisture or remain stable for centuries if kept dry. Few examples Opa Osanyin were collected before 1960 and there is little difference in apparent age or patination between those exported early and the last to come out in the 1990s — excluding the obvious late reproductions which were over-sized and flimsy and had muddy, applied patinas. This exciting example with its explosion of birds in a variety of sizes and forms, was imported into the United States between 1965 and 1975 and remained with a single collector couple until 2014. It surely dates to the 19th Century but it could be even older. Its excellent patina aside this Opa Osanyin is magnificently crafted and ingeniously conceived. A thoroughly delightful work of art.
24″
