View - ArtCore

Ibeji Twin Figures

Ibeji Twin Figures - Front

Ibeji Twin Figures - Back

Ibeji Twin Figures - Bottom

Ibeji Twin Figures - Left

Ibeji Twin Figures - Right

Collection: African Art Collection
Description: The male and female twin figures have stylized cone heads with detailed coiffures. The heads are stained with what appears to be indigo dye. The rounded faces have bulging eyes, distinct noses, and lips. The female has bare breast and the male wears a loin cloth. Both figures are adorned with beads and rings around their wrists. Each doll is carved from a single piece of wood each with a small plinth base. The two wood carvings show signs of use and are in excellent condition.
Artists/Makers: The Yoruba Nigeria Read Biography

The Yoruba

GEOGRAPHY / CULTURE GROUP: Nigeria, Yoruba. The Yoruba are a large West African ethnic group that primarily inhabits the southern part of Nigeria. The Yoruba who number more than fifty million people were the dominant cultural group in Nigeria as far back as the 11th century. The Yoruba are among the most urbanized people in Africa. Lle-lfe, the center of Yoruba culture is regarded by the Yoruba as the place of origin of human civilization.
Student Work: No
Culture: Yoruba
Geography: Nigeria
Medium: Stained cam wood, pigment, beads, and metal rings
Classification: Sculpture
Accession Number: 2022.01.020
Accession Date: May 2022
Donated By: Reginald and Celeste Hodges
Donation Date: May 2022
Provenance Note: PROVENANCE: The dolls were a gift from Mrs. Asunuga, a Yoruba educator in Lagos, Nigeria. The dolls were obtained from a woman friend in her ancestral Yoruba village who lost her twins and wanted nothing to do with the dolls.