Figure of worship.

Female figure of worship, part of the “Ibeji” twins.She wears a necklace, and glass bead bracelets and, on her ankles, wears thickcopper rings. The glossy coating is caused by continual rubbing duringworship rituals which have left permanent traces on the wood. The tattoos engraved in the cheeks, in blocks of four plus four plus three vertical ones, are the distinctive marks of several the noble families in the Oyo community. They had adopted them by the nineteenth century.

(*) Morigi’s profile says: Ibeji figure sculpted by the artist Agobunde. Region of Ede/Oyo, Nigeria. This sculptor’s name, among the many who have sculpted Ibeji statues, is listed in by two specialists of Yoruba art called William Fagg and John Pemberton III in "Yoruba Sculpture of West Africa" New York 1982. On page 158, his name is cited in reference to the description of a Shango, a Yoruba divinatory staff.Agobunde’s craft was developed in southern Nigeria from the end of the 1800s onwards in Ede, his birth city, close to Ife, two famous towns in the ancient state of Oyo. As a sculptor, he received the greatest recognition possible from his fellow citizens. Agobunde’s name was associated with a rare divination cup from the Agéré Ifa group:a magnificent representation of a woman sat with her legs crossed, breast-feeding her child. Agobunde’s name is also cited in the description of another of his works:“Female figure with offering bowl”. Late 19th century, wood. This work belongs to the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois.