African Arts Gallery

Ibeji statuettes, incarnation of the missing child in African Yoruba art.
Large, almond-shaped eyes, deep scarification marks on the face, and braids sprouting from a high crest, generally illustrate the aesthetic traditions of African Yoruba art. Solidly set on a flat support, this male effigy, represented naked, has a shiny brown patina with brown patina with pink ochre highlights.
In the language of the Yoruba people, ibeji means twin: ibi for born and eji for two. They represent the figure of a deceased twin. These African statuettes named ibeji are then treated as the missing child would have been. It is the mother who must care for them; she may wash and feed them regularly. If she dies, the remaining twin takes over. Considered as much more than a ...

Wearing a headdress of braids, this male statuette, perched on a circular base, has a thick wooden torque and necklaces of various beads. The shiny patina is mahogany colored. Indigo pigments on the headdress. Carved according to the indications of the Ifa transmitted to the diviner, the babalawo, the Ibedji statuettes played the role of substitute for the death of the child. The statues are then treated as the missing child would have been. It is the mother who must take care of them; she anoints them with oil and feeds them regularly. If she disappears, the remaining twin takes over.
Considered as more than a physical representation of a loved one, linked to the cult of Shango, the ibedji statues are believed to influence the life and prosperity of the family, and the ...

The ibeji in African art.

In the language of the Yoruba people, ibeji means twin: ibi for born and eji for two. They represent the figure of a deceased twin.
This ibeji is then treated as the missing child would have been. It is the mother who must take care of him; she can wash and feed him regularly. If she dies, the remaining twin takes over.
Considered as much more than a physical representation of a loved one, the ibeji influences the life of the family, that is why the family continues to pray to him and to dedicate cults and libations to him.
These pieces are among the most famous art objects of the Yoruba ethnic group. In fact, the occurrence of twinning in this ethnic group is stronger than anywhere else in Black Africa. This ...

Ex-collection of Italian-African art

- Figure of adept of the god Sango, carried with the left hand during the ritual dances, it is topped with the double ax representing the axes of stone that the god would precipitate on the ground during the storms. The physiognomy is characteristic of Yoruba art, distinguished by the large almond-shaped eyes and the scarification of the cheeks, which represent, through their headdress, the god of thunder and youth Shango, or Sango. The mythical ancestor of the kings of Oyo, he was also the protector of the twins, whose occurrence was very frequent in the region. The Yoruba society is very organized and has several associations whose roles vary. The men's society egbe strengthens the social norms, the aro federates the farmers. The freeze ...

It is in a carved statuette intended to appear on a Yoruba altar that is embodied here a deified ancestor, or one of the multiple gods, orisa, comparable to Christian saints. The latter animate the pantheon of the Yoruba, either the divine messenger Esù or Elégba . The equine, rare in the region, was an attribute of prestige that was reserved for the nobility and the rulers. This sculpture has certain constant elements and characteristics such as a mount with different proportions from the rider. The horse perched on a pedestal is indeed smaller in size. The character with a typically Yoruba face has triple incisions on his face, smokes a pipe and carries a spear. Shaded patina. Residues of kaolin. The Yoruba, more than 20 million, occupy southwestern Nigeria and the central ...

The Ibeji, substitute images in African art.
Traditionally carved from iroko, whose roots and leaves are also used for ritual purposes, these "ere" (statues) figures of twins take the form of a cube topped by a head. The pieces are linked by cowrie shell chains, constituting, in the same way as metal and pearls, the "abiku", protective ornaments. In the language of the Yoruba people, ibeji means twin: ibi for born and eji for two. They represent the figure of a deceased twin. This ibedji is then treated as the missing child would have been. It is the mother who must take care of him; she can wash and feed him regularly. If she dies, it is the remaining twin who takes over.
Sometimes a man would also have ibeji carved for his wife to induce pregnancy. As a carrier of ...

This sculpture of African tribal art was destined to be enthroned on an altar. Facilitating communication with the sacred, it reminds the divinity of its duties towards men. The child she holds on her lap symbolizes protection and fertility. Wearing a high crest, she sports the keloids of the Yoruba nobles. The bulging eyes, fleshy lips, are also distinctive markers of Yoruba tribal statuary. Misses on the base. Scabby patina locally flaked. Desiccation cracks. The Yoruba practiced the slave trade with the Europeans and in particular the Portuguese before being completely subjugated to the British following a long period of infighting between the various kings or oba in power. The main Yoruba cults are the Gélédé , Epa , Ogboni , and the Esu cult, through which a very wide ...

The Ibeji, surrogate images in African art .
Traditionally carved from iroko, whose roots and leaves are also used for ritual purposes, these "ere" (statues) figures of twins take the form of a cube topped by a head. The pieces are linked by cowrie shell chains, constituting, in the same way as metal and pearls, the "abiku", protective ornaments. In the language of the Yoruba people, ibeji means twin: ibi for born and eji for two. They represent the figure of a deceased twin. This ibedji is then treated as the missing child would have been. It is the mother who must take care of him; she can wash and feed him regularly. If she dies, it is the remaining twin who takes over.
Sometimes a man would also have ibeji carved for his wife to induce pregnancy. Supporting the ...

Gelede in African art. Gelede mask showing a face topped with a double sagittal crest. In Nigeria, also in Benin, this African mask worn at the top of the head is used for the Gelede society's celebratory dances, and for the funerals of its followers. These masks occur in pairs, each with a specific name. Grainy patina, cracks and erosion from use. Gelede country in Nigeria pays homage to mothers, especially the older ones, whose powers are said to be comparable to those of the Yoruba gods, or orisa, and ancestors, osi and which can be used for the benefit but also for the misfortune of society. In the latter case these women are named aje. Masked ceremonies, through performances using masks, costumes, and dances, are meant to exhort mothers to use their extraordinary qualities ...

Ex-collection of British African art.
The Ekiti of the northeastern part of the yoruba region use polychrome heaume masks illustrating the prosperity of the community. The base of the mask, named ikoko, is surmounted by a maternity figure associated with one of the multiple gods orisa of the yoruba pantheon. These masks, painted by their owners, are released every two years. Despite the weight of the masks, the dancers perform spectacular acrobatic demonstrations. These ceremonies are also supposed to increase fertility. Crusty polychrome patina.
The Yoruba, more than 20 million, occupy the southwestern part of Nigeria and the central and southeastern part of Benin under the name of Nago. They are patrilineal and practice excision and circumcision. The kingdoms of ...

Ex-collection French African art.
This Bright Yellow Painted African Mask is shaped like a crest with raffia twigs. It was worn with a contours costume eroded at the base. The Gelede cult has become a contemporary heritage, based on ancestral traditions: the 'href'U'0022https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/the-heritage-oral-gelede-00002"-Unesco has enrolled it in the PCI (Immaterial Cultural Heritage of humanity) in 2008 .
Regarding the ceremonies of the 'a href'"https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/le-patrimoine-oral-gelede-00002"- Gelede , practiced mainly in the Western Yoruba kingdoms, masks are built on the same principle: a face (of the type mask-heaum) and a scene that develops on the top of the mask. These are used as part of masquerades dedicated to the "Mother Supreme " Iya ...

This pot of remedies, a basket covered with clay coating, closed by an anthropomorphic-patterned lid, was linked to the Ifa cult created by the Oyos of Nigeria and in connection with the egungun and Sango societies.
Used by the priest of Ifa, a sculpture relating to deities or orishas rises above the pot. Cauris, metal, and seed packets exacerbate the potency of the ingredients placed in the container.
Soruba, more than 20 million, occupy southwestern Nigeria and the central and southeastern region of Benin under the name Nago. They are patrilineal, practice excision and circumcision. The kingdoms of Oyo and Ijebu were born following the disappearance of the civilization Ifé and are still the basis of the political structure of the Yoruba. The Oyo created two cults centered ...

The Ibeji, substitute images in African art. Traditionally carved in iroko, whose roots and leaves are also used for ritual purposes, these "ere" figures (statues) of twins are in the form of a cube topped by a head. The pieces are connected by cowries, constituting, just like metal and pearls, the "abiku", protective ornaments.
In the language of the Yoruba people, ibeji means twin: ibi for born and eji for two. They represent the figure of a deceased twin. This ibedji is then treated as the missing child would have been. It is the mother who must take care of him; she can wash and feed him regularly. If she dies, the remaining twin takes over.

Ibeji statuettes, embodiment of the missing child in Yoruba African art.
Wide almond-shaped eyes, deep scarification on the faces, braids combined into a crest and identical physiognomies that illustrate the aesthetic traditions in Yoruba African art. Solidly encamped on circular supports, these twins wear pearl and cowrie shell ornaments and large metal rings, these elements being associated with the sacred. Chocolate patina, matte inlays.
In the language of the people Yoruba , ibeji means twin: ibi for born and eji for two. They represent the figure of a deceased twin. These African statuettes named ibeji are then treated as the missing child would have been. It is the mother who must take care of them; she can wash and feed them regularly. If she dies, the ...

Ex-spanish African art collection.
Made in the Cameroonian Grasslands using the traditional decorative technique using multicolored glass beads, this head reproduces the famous effigies of sovereigns. Meticulously applied to a terracotta surface, the beads accentuate the features and the royal headdress with strongly contrasting colours, while padouk powder lifts the inside of the ears and mouth.
In African art, the artistic current of which these sculptures are part is named after the ancient religious capital of Nigeria, Ifè, one of the many city-states established by the Yoruba.This civilization succeeded the Nok civilization. This city-state of Ilé-Ifé, whose rise culminated from the 12th to the 15th century, had an artistic tradition of royal portraits imbued with ...

Representations of horsemen are very common in The African Yoruba Art, and for good reason, it is the central theme of history called "The Death and The Cavalier of The King".
This fiction tells the funeral of the late King of Oyo, a former African state founded in the 15th century, neighbor of the kingdom of Dahomey, and the tradition that his rider, Elesin, must commit suicide within thirty days of the death of the king in order to follow Yoruba religious dogma. The death of the rider is indeed intended to guarantee the king a safe drive to his new home.
Elesin, a simple man enjoying life, is given a mission he does not want and ends up disappointing the Yoruba people who place high expectations in him.

It was this myth that inspired the sculptor to make this ...

In the Yoruba pantheon, Orunmila is the deity of the which is consulted in case of problems through the divination ifà via the soothsayer babalawo (iyanifà for a woman). Intended to stand on the altar of the god, this sculpture consists of a cup that contained the sacred palm nuts and a rider figure. The character would embody Esu or Elegba , divine messenger who unites orisa to men. Cracks on the pot.
Centrée on the veneration of her gods, or orisà, the religion yoruba relies on artistic sculptures with coded messages ( aroko). They are designed by sculptors at the request of followers, soothsayers and their clients. These spirits are supposed to intercede with the supreme god Olodumare. The kingdoms of Oyo and Ijebu were born following the disappearance of the civilization Ifé ...

J.Putteners Private Collection.

The Oshe of the yoruba are used in ritual dances. These are carried in the left hand by the dancers. These figures represent the god of thunder and youth Shango, or Sango. The latter is the mythical ancestor of the kings of Oyo.
Sango was also the protector of the twins, whose occurrence was very common in the region.
Tha is a deity feared for its unpredictability. It is revered because it brings beneficial rains to crops. It is also attributed to him that women's fertility is attributed.

A kneeling figure forms the top of each of these royal insignia, one with a ritual offering cup, the second wearing a loincloth and holding a yam, a symbol of abundant harvests. Both sport the distinctive jugular scarifications of the ...

African art Shango
This effigy of tribal art, a follower of the god Shango , judging by the double headdress and the ornaments it is adorned with, sits in order to make offerings. The emblem of the god of lightning and social justice, Shango , is a set of stone axes that he is supposed to throw from the sky during storms. The deities of the rivers are also represented by stones and by the water of the rivers associated with them. This stylized headdress representing stone axes signals the connection between the male sky and the female earth, while the child behind its back symbolizes lineage. Dark matte patina, protrusions whose luster reveals a light golden brown. The company yoruba is very organized and has several associations whose roles vary. While egbe men's society reinforces ...

Supports of the ritualist named babalawo (or Babalao, or Babaal-wo, pronounced Baba-a-l'wo), priest of Ifa, in the Yoruba language, these trays exist in three forms, including the circular ( opon ribiti) such as this copy which was used in Abomey. They are intended for ifa, a system of divination that represents the teachings of the orisha Orunmila, orisha of Wisdom. The babalawo claim to be securing the future through their communication with Orunmila. In Yoruba thought in Nigeria and in Benin, orishas form a variety of divine spirits controlling natural forces. They are found mainly in Yoruba cosmogony but more widely in East West Africa in the diasporas of Central and South America. The center of the tray, aarin opon , forms a picture in which the dust of wood allows the soothsayer to ...

Gelede in African art. Gelede mask adorned with a bird, harvested in situ by the late Jacques Anquetil , a theatre man who became 'a href'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v-U11uL7JBpEQ' master weaver initiated by the Dogon, president of the French Crafts. In Nigeria, also in Benin, this African mask worn at the top of the head is used for Gelede's rejoicing dances, and for the funeral of its followers. These masks occur in pairs, each with a specific name. A single scarification adorns the cheeks here. Similar copies with no tether holes in the case of Yoruba, Rivallain and Iroko, ed. Hazan. Patine mate, beautiful preservation of the original painting. Desication cracks.
The Gelede country in Nigeria pays tribute to the mothers, especially the oldest of them, whose powers would ...