EARLY 20TH CENTURY AFRICAN OYO, YORUBA IBEJI FEMALE FIGURE. #9725

Description

An early 20th century African, Nigerian, Oyo region, wooden Yoruba Ibeji female twin deity, naively carved, the wooden carving 9 inches high, The carving style emphasises the conical hair style, the hair covered with blue pigment, an elaborate hairstyle, a roundness of the eyes and facial features. small worm damage at base, a cord around the left wrist with a couple of coloured beads attached, the left eye retaining a nailhead as the eyeball. see photos.
#9725el
The Yoruba, with a high rate of multiple births, feel that twins are very special and powerful. If a twin dies, a figure dedicated to Ibeji, the deity of twins, is carved to be the earthly abode of the spirit of that twin. The figure is nurtured by the mother and/or the surviving twin . Different hair styles, scarification, figure shape and style of carving indicate the origin of a figure.
Photo not included.
From a Danish Collection