The Yoruba are responsible for some of the finest artistic traditions in Africa, a tradition that remains vital and influential today. Much of the art of the Yoruba, including staffs, court dress, and beadwork for crowns, is associated with the royal courts. The Royal courts also commissioned numerous architectural objects such as veranda posts, gates, and doors that are embellished with carvings. Other Yoruba art is related to shrines and masking traditions.
The Yoruba worship a large pantheon of deities, and shrines dedicated to these gods are adorned with carvings and house an array of altar figures and other ritual paraphernalia. Masking traditions vary regionally, and a wide range of mask types are employed in various festivals and celebrations.
The custom of art and artists among the Yoruba is deeply rooted in the Ifá literary corpus, indicating the orishas Ogun, Obatala, Oshun, Oya and Sango as central to creation mythology including artistry. In order to fully understand the centrality of art (onà) in Yoruba thought, one must be aware of their cosmology, which traces the origin of existence (ìwà) to a Supreme Divinity, the enabling power that sustains and transforms the universe.