Ɵ Ibeji statuette, Yoruba people, Nigeria About... - Lot 12 - Giquello

Lot 12
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Estimation :
7000 - 12000 EUR
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Result : 7 513EUR
Ɵ Ibeji statuette, Yoruba people, Nigeria About... - Lot 12 - Giquello
Ɵ Ibeji statuette, Yoruba people, Nigeria About 1860 Wood with superb patina of use and metals H. 30 cm Ibeji Figure, Yoruba, Nigeria H. 11 1/2 in Provenance: - Samir Borro, Brussels - Bernard de Grunne, Brussels - Private collection In Yoruba territory on the Benin-Nigeria border, twin births are said to be more frequent than in the rest of the world. Twins are considered to be almost supernatural beings, possessing only a single, unbreakable soul. In the case of the disappearance of one of the twins, a specific cult is paid to him through a statuette called ibeji, which has become the seat of the soul of the deceased. In the case of the death of both, it is to a pair of statuettes that the required sacrifices are offered. Etymologically, ibeji means "born twice". Although many ibeji statuettes have come down to us, the present example is distinguished by its imposing stature and the beautiful quality of its sculpture, which can be described as classical. Its muscular masses and its limbs are decoupled in a superb architecture. Its superb patina testifies to its long cultic use. The effaced features of the face, so often ritually washed and rubbed, reveal however the volume of a small beak-like mouth characteristic of the style of the Igbomina populations of the center of the country. The eyes are only indicated by wrought iron nails. The heavy brass bracelets adorning his wrists and ankles affirm the wealth of the family that once commissioned him from a master sculptor.
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