Mandione Laye and his Phaeton

Both the image of the bird and the Arabic inscription on this suwer (or souwere, Wolof for reverse glass painting) reveal it as a portrait of Seydina Mandione Laye, caliph of the Layeniyya Sufi brotherhood in 1949–1971. Seemingly inspired by a photograph, this suwer is one of the earliest known depicting this spiritual leader with the bird that is associated with his spiritual election since 1950, when it wondrously sat on his shoulder during prayer. Evoking a topical moment in the history of the Layeniyya, a community that is particularly attentive to supernatural events, the image of the Phaeton has since become a symbol of this brotherhood.