Zemanek-Münster
Male twin figure "ere ibeji" with cowrie shell cape
Male twin figure "ere ibeji" with cowrie shell cape 2/6 Male twin figure "ere ibeji" with cowrie shell cape 3/6 Male twin figure "ere ibeji" with cowrie shell cape 4/6 Male twin figure "ere ibeji" with cowrie shell cape 5/6 Male twin figure "ere ibeji" with cowrie shell cape 6/6
← / →
Lot 92
97th Auction

Male twin figure "ere ibeji" with cowrie shell cape

Nigeria, Yoruba, Oyo, Igbuke style
sold EUR 750
Provenance
Zemanek-Münster, Würzburg, 13 March 2010, Lot 225
Walter Grasser, Munich, Germany
Size
H: 31,5 cm
H: 12.4 inch

Description

wood, pigments, fabric, cowrie shells, dam. / missing parts (cape)

More than anywhere else, “ibeji” from Oyo can be found wearing cowrie coats. Cowrie shells were once legal tender in West Africa, and this gesture is an indication of the high regard paid to the deceased by his family, and the wealth of the family as well.

Comparing literature

Stoll, Gert, Ibeji, Zwillingfiguren der Yoruba, München 1980, p. 156 f.

Publications

AHDRC: 0107474

Africa
Figures

Subscribe to our newsletter

Join over 10,000 tribal art collectors. Don't miss out on upcoming news and auctions.

Subscribe today