Oracle bowl "agere ifa" · Nigeria, Yoruba · ID: 3037142
Description
wood, brown patina, remains of pigments, equestrian figure with spear supporting the bowl, min. dam., missing parts through insect caused damage, slight traces of usage;
divination bowls serve for keeping the 16 holy nuts (“ikin”), which are used for the questioning of the oracle. During the prophecy, the “babalawo” (priest) spreads the “opon ifa” with flour, throws the palm nuts on the board and generates the oracle from the lines drawn on the plate.
The object Oracle bowl “agere ifa” with the object ID 3037142 was last part of the auction 77th tribal art auction at June 28, 2014 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 388 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,500.
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Expertise
Karl-Ferdinand Schädler, 22.04. 2003, Munich
Comparing literature
Eisenhofer, Stefan (Hg.), Kulte, Künstler, Könige in Afrika, Linz 1997, p. 195, ill. III/1.3