Ifá divination vessel (àgéré Ifá)

Description

The mother figure of this vessel from the Southern Ekiti region represents a devotee who kneels before the gods. The vessel once held the 16 sacred palm nuts essential to divination rituals. The object was used by a priest as a medium through which to communicate with the god of fate, Orunmila, in order to gain insight into an individual’s destiny or to understand the cause of misfortune.

Provenance

Charles Davis, by purchase in Togo ca.1979-1982 (ca. 1979 to 1982-1994); (Davis Gallery, New Orleans, LA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (by 1994); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1994-)

Ifá divination vessel (àgéré Ifá)

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mid- late 1800s

Accession Number

1994.200

Medium

Wood and colorant

Dimensions

Overall: 31.7 x 15.7 x 15.9 cm (12 1/2 x 6 3/16 x 6 1/4 in.)

Classification

Sculpture

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund