unknown Owu
Yoruba Primary
Ere Ibeji (Twin Figure)
Late 19th century - Mid 20th century
Carved wood with pigment
9 x 3 x 3.25 in. (22.86 x 7.62 x 8.255 cm)
Bryn Mawr College
Accession Number:
99.5.3
Other Number(s):
84-25A (Neufeld Collection Number)
Geography:
Africa, Nigeria, Ibadan
Classification:
Ceremonial and Performance Artifacts; Ritual Objects
Culture/Nationality:
Owu, Ibadan, Yoruba, Nigerian, West African, African
Collection:
Neufeld Collection
Keywords
Click a term to view the records with the same keyword
This object has the following keywords:
African*,
beads*,
carvings*,
female*,
necklaces*,
Nigerian,
patina*,
ritual objects*,
scarifications*,
twins*,
West African*,
wood*,
Yoruba
- African - Refers to the cultures of the continent of Africa, which is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea.
- beads - Refers to small objects, of any shape or material, pierced so that they may be strung or hung or attached, as by sewing.
- carvings - Refers to works executed by cutting a figure or design out of a solid material such as stone or wood. It typically refers to works that are relatively small in size, are part of a larger work, or are not considered art. For large and medium-sized three-dimensional works of art, use the broader term "sculpture" or another appropriate term.
- female - Referring to the sex that normally produces eggs or female germ cells.
- necklaces - Ornaments worn around the neck, usually in the form of chains or strands of beads, pearls, stones, or decorative or precious materials, and often including a suspended ornamental pendant. Use "chokers" for short, narrow necklaces worn close to the throat. Use "dog collars (necklaces)" for wide ornamental bands worn tightly around the neck.
- Nigerian
- patina - An aged appearance caused by environmental factors, acquired naturally or artificially induced; used especially with regard to a surface layer on metal caused by oxidation or corrosion.
- ritual objects - Objects used for a particular ritual activity, often as part of a ceremony.
- scarifications - Refers to permanent marks, such as symbols, patterns, or other designs, made on human skin by scarring, done for social or cultural reasons or for personal decoration.
- twins - Two siblings conceived, carried in the womb, and usually born at the same time. They may be identical, as when one fertilized egg splits, or fraternal, as when two eggs are individually fertilized.
- West African - Styles and cultures from the region comprising the westernmost area of the African continent, defined by the United Nations as including the modern nations of Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
- wood - The principal tissue of trees and other plants that provides both strength and a means of conducting nutrients. Wood is one of the most versatile materials known.
- Yoruba
Additional Images
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Exhibition List
This object was included in the following exhibitions:
- African and Pacific Art from the Neufeld Collection Bryn Mawr College , Apr 28, 1993 – Jun 1, 1993
-
Owner Name: Mace Neufeld and Helen Katz Neufeld, Class of 1953
Role: Donor
Place: Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, US
Ownership End Date: 7/18/1991
Comparanda List
The following Comparanda exist for this object:
- Fausto Polo, "Ibeji Archive." (Accessed July 23, 2020): http://ibejiarchive.com/. Record No.: 29V05.
- Gert Stoll and Mareidi Stoll. Ibeji: Zwillingsfiguren der Yoruba (Munich, Germany: Authors, January 1, 1980), 178. Figure Number: 71
-
"African Heritage Document and Research Center."
(Accessed June 11, 2020):
AHDRC.eu.
Record No.: 0155303.
- George Chemeche, Ibeji: The Cult of Yoruba Twins (Milan, Italy: 5 Continents Editions srl, 2003), 148. Figure Number: 105
Related Bibliography List
The following Related Bibliography exist for this object:
- Ugochukwu-Smooth Nzewi and Carol Thompson. "Embodying the Sacred in Yoruba Art: Featuring the Bernard and Patricia WagnerCollection: A Case Study in Museum Practice." African Arts 42, no. 2 (Summer 2009): 32-43.
- Eva L. R. Meyerowitz, "Ibeji Statuettes from Yoruba, Nigeria." Man 44 (Sept. 1944 - Oct. 1944): 105-106.
- Elisha P. Renne, "Twinship in an Ekiti Yoruba Town." Ethnology 40, no. 1 (2001): 63-78.
- "National Museums of Scotland: Online Collections Database." (Accessed April 5, 2020): National Museums of Scotland, https://www.nms.ac.uk/explore-our-collections/search-our-collections/. https://www.nms.ac.uk/explore-our-collections/stories/world-cultures/ere-ibeji-figures/.
- Robert Farris Thompson, "Sons of Thunder: Twin Images among the Oyo and Other Yoruba Groups." African Arts 4, no. 3 (Spring 1971): 8-80.
- Gert Stoll and Mareidi Stoll. Ibeji: Zwillingsfiguren der Yoruba (Munich, Germany: Authors, January 1, 1980), 168-171.
- George Chemeche, Ibeji: The Cult of Yoruba Twins (Milan, Italy: 5 Continents Editions srl, 2003), 27-29.
- Stefan Eisenhofer, ed. Kulte, Künstler, Könige in Afrika: Tradition und Moderne in Südnigeria (Linz, Austria: des Oberösterreichisches Landesmuseums, 1977), 232-241.
Related Object(s)
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Ere Ibeji (Twin Figure)
99.5.4
Portfolio List
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