Adenla in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, January 2026

Title: Adéńlá (big crown)

Artist: Yoruba bead artist

Date: late 19th–early 20th century

Geography: Nigeria, Osogbo region

Culture: Yoruba peoples

Medium: Glass beads, cotton, bone, wood, mixed media offerings

Dimensions: H. 12 x Diam. 8 5/8 in. (30.5 x 21.9 cm)

Classification: Beads-Costumes

Credit Line: Gift of Ernst Anspach, 1976

Object Number: 1976.202

Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

The conical woven frame upon which a Yoruba leader’s crown is constructed is a microcosm of the world and a visualization of personhood. A bead artist recites prayers and makes offerings before undertaking the elaboration of its surface. This example’s exuberant color and pattern exemplify ojú-ọnà, an ideal quality of design consciousness and originality. An adéńlá is complete when a priest inserts herbal medicines that transform and fuse the wearer’s identity with that of the crown’s sacred lineage.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/310177