Yoruba Ere Ibeji twin figures
Ibeji era in African art
Remarkable pair of ibeji ere twins, a famous type of statue carved by the Yoruba. In African art, we know in particular the effigies of twins carved on the occasion of the birth of the latter in the various regions of the Yoruba territory. Thus from the 18th or 19th century, we began to celebrate the conception of twins among the Yoruba.
The mother had a pair of wooden figurines carved which she watched over as well as over her own as children. Indeed, it is their cosmic representation. Thus, she fed and pampered the ibeji. This is the reason why we find an earthy crust in these certain places on the statues here present. We will also notice the presence of pearls to make them beautiful. Finally, nails are driven into the eyes and traditional scarifications are present on the face, which was a common practice among the Yoruba as seen in the attached contextual photos.
These pieces originally come from the J.-P. Lepage collection, Brussels, collected in the Oke Iho / Oyo region.
01877
Data sheet
- Presumed dating
- Early XXth century
- Size
- 31 cm
- Ethnic group
- Material(s)
- Wood, accessories
- Country
- Origin
- J.-P. Lepage collection, Bruxelles
- Stand
- Included
- Condition
- Excellent
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Ibeji era in African art
Remarkable pair of ibeji ere twins, a famous type of statue carved by the Yoruba. In African art, we know in particular the effigies of twins carved on the occasion of the birth of the latter in the various regions of the Yoruba territory. Thus from the 18th or 19th century, we began to celebrate the conception of twins among the Yoruba.
The mother had a pair of wooden figurines carved which she watched over as well as over her own as children. Indeed, it is their cosmic representation. Thus, she fed and pampered the ibeji. This is the reason why we find an earthy crust in these certain places on the statues here present. We will also notice the presence of pearls to make them beautiful. Finally, nails are driven into the eyes and traditional scarifications are present on the face, which was a common practice among the Yoruba as seen in the attached contextual photos.
These pieces originally come from the J.-P. Lepage collection, Brussels, collected in the Oke Iho / Oyo region.