Master of the Smiling Faces Master of the Archaic Smile

This very famous workshop was located in the Igbomina area and worked in the style of Ila Orangun. The three sculptors who have been identified over time, including the renowned Bogunjoko of Ila-Orangun (1800-1870), were artists from the Inurin workshop, situated in the Iperin neighborhood.

Here’s what William Fagg says in Yoruba Sculpture of West Africa, New York, 1982, p. 141, pl. 44:

“The town of Ila-Orangun, located in the southern region of Igbomina, is renowned for its generations of sculptors linked to the Inurin complex in the Iperin neighborhood. One of the most famous of these artists is referred to by William Fagg as ‘the master of the archaic smile.’ By comparing several works in the collection of the National Museum of Lagos and other collections, it seems that there were several sculptors working in this style. Marilyn Houlberg, a specialist in the ibeji figures of Ila, notes that three documented sculptures in this style, preserved at the National Museum, belonged to members of the Obasaba complex in the Iperin neighborhood and were likely created between 1850 and 1885.

The anonymous sculptor of these fascinating figures broke the convention that facial expression should be passive or somber. He emphasized the lips and gave particular importance to the chin, a trait almost unique among the sculptors of the Inurin complex. The large bulging eyes, high cheekbones, narrow jaw, and slightly constricted nose combine to create a wonderful smile that imparts a certain charm to these images. In addition to the beads adorning the waist, the sculptor added an Islamic amulet, or "tirah," on the chest and back of each figure. The "tirah" is a leather pouch containing verses from the Quran, sometimes accompanied by medicinal concoctions, intended to protect its wearer from evil spirits. The Islamic influence in northern Yorubaland dates back to the Holy War of 1804, when the city of Ilorin came under Muslim control. Over the following four decades, Islam rapidly spread southward, reaching the regions of Oyo, Igbomina, and Ekiti.”

Through this very detailed and enlightening description of the style of this fabulous workshop gathering three great Yoruba Master sculptors, including Bogunjoko of Ila-Orangun (1800-1870), the influence of Islam on Yoruba art and the unique character of the ibeji sculptures in the style of the village of Ila-Orangun are highlighted.

Below are three particularly successful examples of ibeji statuettes from this workshop attributed to the corpus of the Master of the Smiling Faces – Master of the Archaic Smile.