Lot 85C
West Africa, Yoruba, ca. early 20th century CE. A hand-carved wooden female "ere ibeji" figure, most likely from Osogbo or the Igbomina region of Yorubaland (spanning Nigeria, Togo, and Benin), standing with both arms and hands at her sides upon an integral base. She presents a protruding perhaps pregnant belly, large, pendulous breasts, rounded shoulders, an elongated face delineated with closed lips, a wide, low relief nose, large bulging eyes with perforated pupils, pointed ears, and scarification marks on her cheeks, all crowned with a tall and elaborately incised coiffure composed of two upswept sections with bun-like termini, lavishly embellished with indigo/violet blue pigment. She is also bedecked with strands of beads, a sign of her elite status. A wonderful example with nice patina from use and handling. Size: 10.375" H (26.4 cm)
In addition to the impressively styled and blue-hued coiffure, this particular Ibeji figure is adorned with a great number of beads. Around her neck are two short strands, one of blue beads, the other blue and red; around her waist are five strands - three black and two multi-colored; around her left wrist are two bracelets, one comprised of white beads, the other of multi-colored red, white, and blue beads; and finally around her right wrist is one bracelet of red and green beads and another metal bracelet painted with red pigment - around her left wrist, a strand of black and red beads, and finally, adorning her feet, one strand of red and multi-colored beads on her right foot and two strands - one of red beads and one of multi-colored beads on her left foot.
The Yoruba have traditionally had a high rate of multiple births and have always valued twins as special. When one twin dies, a figure dedicated to Ibeji, the deity of twins, is carved to be the earthly abode of the spirit of that twin. The figure is then nurtured by the mother and/or the surviving twin. The Yoruba have one of the highest number of twin births in the world, four times higher than in Europe, for example. Ibeji are known to the Yoruba as two people who share one soul. If one of the human twins dies, whether as a child or an adult, the surviving human twin is considered to have little hope of living with only half a soul. Further, the deceased's soul must have a place to reside. Hence, a figure dedicated to Ibeji is carved to shelter the spirit of the deceased twin.
Provenance: Adeon Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, acquired prior to 1970.
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#122780
- Condition: Loss to one ear. Missing metal eyes. Age cracks with slight losses in their vicinity. Wonderful lustrous dark patina. Ample blue violet pigment and red cinnabar remains on surface.
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