Ibeji Couple - Fetishes - Yoruba - Africa - Second half of the 20th century

The ibeji are anthropomorphic statuettes carved typical of the Yoruba .

Here we present a male/female Ibeji couple standing on square bases wearing numerous rows of colored glass beads, they are made of very hard wood not attacked by wood-eating insects, light cracks of time, signs of age and use, beautiful original patina.

The figures are 25.5 cm tall; approximately 305 grams. Period 1960/70

Ibeji is the name of an Orisha representing a pair of twins in the Yoruba religion of the people.

Yoruba (native to Yorubaland, an area in and around present-day Nigeria).

In Yoruba culture and spirituality, twins are believed to be magical and receive protection from the Orisha Shango.

 The death of a twin is a misfortune for the parents and for the society to which they belong.

parents then commission a babalawo to carve a wooden Ibeji to represent the deceased twin, and the parents care for the figure as if it were a real person. In addition to the gender, the appearance of the Ibeji is determined by the sculptor.

Parents then dress and decorate the ibeji to represent their status, sometimes using clothing made from cowrie shells, sometimes in addition to beads, or coins and paint.

Provenance: Private collection Turin - Acquired by the Multiethnic and Antique Gallery "Arkadia Gallery" - Turin