Male twin figure "ere ibeji" with cowrie shell cape · Nigeria, Yoruba, Oyo, Igbuke style · ID: 3048110
sold
EUR 750
Provenance
Zemanek-Münster, Würzburg, 13 March 2010, Lot 225Walter 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