Pair of twin figures "ere ibeji" · Nigeria, Yoruba, Ila-Orangun · ID: 3035028
Description
wood, reddish brown patina, black paint, indigo blue pigment, adorned with strings of glass beads, each figure carved with the isalmic triangle on breast and back, pupils originally stud with metal tags, various carved coiffures, identical formed facial features: characterized by a broad laughing mouth, slightly dam., missing parts through insect caused damage (above all the pedestals and the coiffure of the female figure);
made by the “master of the archaic smile”.
As the Yoruba believe that twins have a combined, inseparable soul, the moment one of the twins dies, the life of the other is immediately imperiled, because the balance of his soul is seriously disturbed. Therefore an artisan is ordered to carve a small wooden figure to serve as new abode for the soul of the deceased. The “babalawo” performs the traditional ritual of transferring the soul into the wooden figure. They are called “ere ibeji”. The Yoruba word “ibeji” means “twin”, “ere” = “sacred image”.