Ibeji twin pair - Yoruba, Benin - Luc Huysveldt collection

Description

Yoruba Ibeji twin couple from Benin, with unusual iconography and a beautiful old patina.

This pair of wooden Ibeji figurines belongs to the Yoruba tradition of twin worship. Ibeji figures were made to maintain spiritual balance when one of a twin died, and acted as a protective and ritual presence within the household. The pair is dated around c. 1925-1930.

Both figures are depicted standing on a rooster. The rooster has a clear symbolic meaning within Yoruba imagery and is associated with vitality, vigilance and ritual transitional moments. The combination of Ibeji figures with roosters is unusual, but is in keeping with the content of other Yoruba sculptural forms in which roosters appear, such as Olumeye sculptures. This representation can be seen as a local or personal interpretation within the wider Yoruba tradition, and gives the pair their own distinctive character.

Origin & meaning
Yoruba, Benin. Ibeji statues symbolise connection, protection and continuity between life and death. That this pair has always been preserved as an ensemble reinforces both its intrinsic coherence and its collector's value.

Provenance
Collected at Cové (Benin) by Luc Huysveld, Amma Tribal Art gallery (Antwerp). From a European private collection.

Dimensions & condition
Heights approx. 20 and 22 cm (excluding plinths). Width approx. 5 cm, depth approx. 9 cm. Wood with old, even patina. One statue is missing the cock's head and part of the knee of one leg; these losses are clearly old and are an integral part of the object and the patina. The statue with complete rooster shows slight wear on top of the head of the human figure, appropriate to age and use. Remnants of blue pigment are visible on both statues, including at the neck of the rooster, around the feet and in the knee hollows, appropriate to ritual use. Beads and cord present. Authentic condition, consistent with long-term ritual use.