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THBMatched Pair of 20th C. Yoruba Wood Ibeji Figures
Lot 143
About Seller
Artemis Gallery
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$1,200 - $1,800
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| $20,000 | $2,500 |
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| $100,000 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 | $20,000 |
About Auction
Live
By Artemis Gallery
May 9, 2019
Set Reminder
2019-05-09 10:00:00
2019-05-09 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Ancient | Asian | Ethnographic
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/ancient-asian-ethnographic-4110
Featuring classical antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art from cultures encompassing the globe. All legally acquired, legal to sell. Satisfaction guaranteed. Convenient in-house shipping. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
Featuring classical antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art from cultures encompassing the globe. All legally acquired, legal to sell. Satisfaction guaranteed. Convenient in-house shipping. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (374)
- Lot Description
West Africa, Nigeria, Yoruba, ca. first half of the 20th century CE. A beautiful matched pair of hand-carved wooden Ere Ibeji twin figures depicting a male and a female standing atop integral circular platforms decorated with incised triangular motifs. The figures have similar faces composed of wide almond-shaped eyes beneath striated brows, wide triangular noses, full lips, and cupped ears, all beneath openwork conical coiffures with plaited strands decorated with natural indigo pigment. The male figure has a small twisted string tied around one ankle, and the female has a strand of small black, red, and blue beads around her neck and waist. Size of largest (male): 2.375" W x 9.875" H (6 cm x 25.1 cm).
The Yoruba are known for their carved sculptures of deceased male and female twin figures, known as Ibeji. The Yoruba have one of the highest number of twin births in the world, four times higher than in Europe, for example. Ibeji are known to the Yoruba as two people who share one soul. According to the Yoruba, twin effigies like this example are believed to influence the daily lives of family members and especially the life of the other twin. If one of the human twins dies, whether as a child or an adult, the surviving human twin is considered to have little hope of living with only half a soul. Further, the deceased's soul must have a place to reside, hence the reason for creating Ere Ibeji figures like this. As such, they are traditionally honored with prayers, offerings, and libations to ensure peace and happiness in the afterlife.
Provenance: private Los Angeles, California, USA collection
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
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#145789Both figures have losses to areas of coiffures, heads, and bases, with a few stable fissures, fading to original pigmentation, softening to some incised details, and light encrustations within some recessed areas. Light earthen deposits, nice traces of original pigmentation, and fabulous brown patina throughout.Condition
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