Ifa tapper ·  Nigeria, Yoruba · ID: 3034960

Description

brass, handle in form of a kneeling woman with headgear containing a bell, socle;
tappers are made of wood, brass or ivory. They are used by the diviners to strike the “ifa” tray with the pointed end in order to attract Orunmilas attention at the beginning of the session. The broad end is often hollowed, forming a bell, with a small clapper inside, which is rattled during invocations.

The object Ifa tapper with the object ID 3034960 was last part of the auction 73rd tribal art auction at May 25, 2013 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 289 achieved a sales price of EUR 2,000.

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Comparing literature

Witte, Hans, Ifa and Esu, Soest-Holland 1984, p. 99, pl. 65