Fon Female Ibeji or 'Twins' Figure

Same grave face, different wire arrangement, with a loop trailing past its elbow

This female Ibeji or ‘twins’ figure is from Benin, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is carved wood & glass. Though the figures stand for infants who have passed, they are carved as adults in their prime, suggesting strength, vitality and fertility through broad shoulders for boys and full forms for girls. A dark carved figure with a tall ribbed crest, sharply defined mouth and a narrow red bead collar. A bent wire loops from the hip and coils at the feet on a round base. The surface is polished and dark. It is 5.25 inches wide, 5 deep and 17.5 high.

Dignified, tidy and still managing to look slightly mischievous.