A ruler must be pious but also zealous in guarding his people and their territory. When his palace in the town of Efon-Alaaye burned down in 1911, King Arusuboja commissioned a new suite of columns for his audience hall. Agbonbiofe, one of the leading sculptors of the day and a member of the renowned Adeshina family of sculptors, carved seven pillars to support the roof of the open courtyard in the center of the palace. During the nineteenth century, Yoruba kings in southern Nigeria fought for regional dominance. The pillars in an audience hall balanced martial and maternal imagery, assuring the viewer of the ruler’s ability to defend his people from attack and ensure the peace and prosperity required to raise a new generation of subjects. This particular column is a fragment; a second figure once stood below the woman’s feet. Agbonbiofe has masterfully balanced the body of a beautiful mother with the pillar continuing above her coiffure. The woman’s erect posture and serene face resist the heavy functional load of the roof; her calm demeanor of is a symbol of the king’s good governance. The baby at her breast is gently supported by her left hand, while her right hand caresses the infant’s knee. A second child clings to her back. The woman wears an elegant necklace, bracelets, and a lip ornament, but it is her gaze and posture that are most striking, exuding the dignity, safety, and calm secured by the king for his people.

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