{"object":[{"sourceId":{"label":"Source ID","value":"32501"},"creditline":{"label":"Credit Line","value":"Gift of William W. Brill"},"labelText":{"label":"More Information","value":"BRIEF DESCRIPTIONThis is a janiform (two-faced) wooden figure that was made to provide protection to its Fon owner.WHERE WAS IT MADE?The Fon live in West Africa, primarily in Benin, but also in southwestern Nigeria.HOW WAS IT MADE?This bocio was hand carved from a piece of wood with tools such as an adze, knives, and chisels. In order to have an active bocio, the owner commissions a plain, rough-hewn sculpture from a male carver sanctioned by a diviner. The owner then \u201cactivates\u201d the unadorned sculpture with the addition of powerful materials such as shells, rope, fabric, and libations.HOW WAS IT USED?By acting as surrogates for their owners, bocio provide protection by decoying harm away from owners and by promoting good will in many forms: health, wealth, love, and even good weather. Bocio are often placed at Fon shrines within family compounds. To see examples of Fon altars within the Johnson Museum\u2019s collection, search for object numbers 99.092.020, 2006.068.019, and 2007.089.001 in the keyword search box.WHY DOES IT LOOK LIKE THIS?Notice that the sculpture\u2019s head has two faces; the more detailed face may represent the owner, and the other face may represent the harmful forces he wishes to avoid. It is also advantageous to have two sets of eyes, conveying omniscient powers on the figure, and increasing its protective abilities."},"invno":{"label":"Object number","value":"86.089.015"},"description":{"label":"Description","value":"Fon wood janiform standing figure with facial scarifications, and attached fetish material including fiber, shells and metal.Bocio both provide protection by decoying harm away from owners and promote good will in many forms: health, wealth, love, and even good weather. In order to have an active bocio, the owner commissions a plain, rough-hewn sculpture from a carver sanctioned by a diviner. The owner then \"activates\" the unadorned sculpture with the addition of powerful materials such as shells, rope, fabric, and libations.The two heads of the sculpture have been explained as those of the owner (with the more detailed face) and the harmful forces he wishes to avoid. Among the Fon, sorcerers are believed to have \"double vision\" which access to the spirit world. Suggested reading: Alisa LaGamma, Art and Oracle: African Art and Rituals of Divination. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000."},"medium":{"label":"Medium","value":"Wood, fiber, shells, and metal"},"onview":{"label":"On View","value":"0"},"media":{"label":"Media","value":["86.089.015_d0563_019","86.089.015_d0563_020"]},"title":{"label":"Title","value":"Janiform standing figure (Bocio)"},"classification":{"label":"Classifications","value":"Sculpture"},"primaryMedia":{"value":"https://emuseum.cornell.edu/internal/media/dispatcher/74865/full"},"culture":{"label":"Culture","value":"Benin, Fon peoples"},"id":{"label":"Id","value":"216033"},"dimensions":{"label":"Dimensions","value":"Height: 21 1/2 inches (54.6 cm)"}}]}