Figure (Ere Ibeji)

Label TextTwins inspire both fear and wonder in Yorubaland, where the rate of twin births is among the highest in the world. Twins are considered special children who can bring riches to their parents or misfortune to those who do not honor them. If a twin dies, a sculpture is carved to remember them in the prime of life-forward-facing, confident, and dignified.

Object number81.17.608

Exhibition HistoryLos Angeles, California, Frederick S. Wight Art Gallery, University of California, African Art in Motion: Icon and Act, Jan. 20 - Mar. 17, 1974 (Washington, D.C., National Gallery of Art, May 5 - Sept. 22, 1974). Text by Robert Farris Thompson. No cat. no., pp. 51-52, reproduced pl. 55 (as "ibeji").

Credit LineGift of Katherine White and the Boeing Company

Dimensions11 9/16 x 3 1/16 x 3 in. (29.4 x 7.7 x 7.6 cm)

MediumWood, pigment, beads, nails