Pair of Yoruba Ere Ibeji Twin ‘King & Queen’ Figures

This pair of female Ere Ibeji twins have fine, varying patinas, with contours softened from handling, bathing and caressing. Their significant age is obvious. They are a clear pair and are intended to be identical twins. additionally, are carved with crowns (a closed one in the case of the male and an open one for the female) as if a king and a queen.

Polo (2008) identifies this style of Ibeji as coming from the Abogunde workshop, Ede, in Oyo State, and classifies the style as ‘scarce’.

Both stand with hands on hips, and legs apart. Each has bulging, almond-shaped eyes with exaggerated eye lashes, are ears set towards the back of the heads. The noses are particularly flared. The female has protruding, elongated breasts, and the male has been carved with collar bones.

Both have scarification lines beneath their chains and on the abdomens; the female has further such lines on her forehead and cheeks.

Both have large heads: the over-sized head feature is deliberate – the head is where the spirit resides. Among the Yoruba, the over-sized head is associated with one’s destiny, and can be a measure of one’s likely success or failure. Also, over-sized heads relative to the body size are common among infants and babies.

Each stands on a plain, round platform.

The male has a single waist band of red and blue glass trade beads. The female wears four waist bands of coconut shell beads, and a necklace of red and blue glass trade beads.

The male has the relevant genitalia and the female has a large triangular section of cross-hatched pubic hair.

Yoruba people have the highest dizygotic (non-identical) twinning rate in the world. The birth of twins amongst Yoruba women are four times more likely than anywhere else. Unfortunately, the mortality rate of the twins also was high. Ere Ibeji figures were carved as spiritual representations of the twins who died. These figures were commissioned from village carvers, who were also often highly trained priests (Babalawo). The images were carved as adults, rather than as the deceased infants. It is common in African sculpture that representations of children are made with adult-like qualities, including elaborate coiffures, (sometimes) scarifications on the face, fully developed breasts (on female figures), pubic hair, and prominent genitalia. They were usually placed on a shrine dedicated to Elegba (a divine messenger deity) in the living area of the house and fed, bathed and dressed regularly. These figures were particularly special to the mother, who kept them close to her and caressed the figures in a loving manner, hence the wear that genuinely old examples exhibit.

The pair here have superb wear and patina. The contours of each have been worn smooth with ritual caressing and the wood has a beautiful colour and patina.