Male twin figure "ere ibeji" · Nigeria, Yoruba, Igbomina, Ila Orangun · ID: 3038547
Michael Oliver, New York, USA
Description
wood, brown patina, camwood powder, encrusted in some areas, richly adorned, facial features abraded, slightly dam., traces of insect caused damage (coiffure), fine cracks, metal plate;
“ibeji” figures are memorial figures for deceased twins. They are oiled, dressed, decorated, fed, sung to, danced with, caressed, put to bed at night and awakened in the morning, and sometimes carried to the market in search of alms. When the mother of a departed twin dies, through divination it may be determined that the twin figures should be buried with her. In other cases they may be passed on to another woman in the family to be cared for.
The object Male twin figure “ere ibeji” with the object ID 3038547 was last part of the auction 80th Tribal Art Auction at June 27, 2015 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 358 achieved a sales price of EUR 2,500.
You can find more Figures and other popular object types on our related topic pages. You may also be interested in our page on African art.
Comparing literature
Fagaly, William, Ancestors of Congo Square, New Orleans 2011, p. 196