Sold

The BADA Standard

  • Since 1918, BADA has been the leading association for the antiques and fine art trade
  • Members are elected for their knowledge, integrity and quality of stock
  • Our clients are protected by BADA’s code of conduct
  • Our dealers’ membership is reviewed and renewed annually
  • Bada.org is a non-profit site: clients deal directly with members and they pay no hidden fees
Click here for more information on the BADA Standard

A beautifully worked beaded coat made for an Ibeji figure.

Mid 20th Century

Twin births among the Yoruba speaking tribes is considerably higher than the average and these children held a special position within the family and were believed to have the ability to confer good or ill fortune on the members. As such, and because they were necessarily smaller than single births, they were fed on high calorie and expensive palm oil and beans after the breast feeding period.
Because it is believed that in multiple births the babies share a soul, if a twin should fail to survive a diviner would be consulted to prescribe appropriate sacrifices and to say whether an ibeji should be made and by whom; he may also specify that one be made of the surviving twin. These cherished little sculptures would, on occasion, also be dressed, usually in a simple cloth robe as with those in th1161e ethnographic collections of the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. Very occasionally they would be clothed in a decorative beaded jacket such as this.

Museum Collections:
British Museum, London U.K
Metropolitan Museum, New York U.S
Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge U.K

Bibliography:
Ibeji: The Cult of the Yoruba Twins by John Pemberton, John Picton & Lamidi Olonade Fakeye





Stock number

1448 / 2816
Open by appointment only

The BADA Standard

  • Since 1918, BADA has been the leading association for the antiques and fine art trade
  • Members are elected for their knowledge, integrity and quality of stock
  • Our clients are protected by BADA’s code of conduct
  • Our dealers’ membership is reviewed and renewed annually
  • Bada.org is a non-profit site: clients deal directly with members and they pay no hidden fees
Click here for more information on the BADA Standard