code: 2026-BA

a rare and old, from one piece of wood carved statue, depicting a 

bowl above a rooster / fowl and snake struggling, 

a divination bowl, called

Agere Ifa

from the Yoruba Peoples, west Oyo region, Nigeria,

this Agere Ifa - divination vessel served as a receptacle for the sixteen sacred palm nuts, called Ikin, through this medium, Ifa priests - Babalawo communicated with the god of fate - Orunmila, in order to obtain insights into an individual’s destiny,

condition: firm and stable, authentic old patina, some wear and tear, and a few wood cracks 

- please do see all the pictures, they are part of the description -

age: 19th or early 20th Century

height: circa 16 cm / circa 6.2 inch,

diameter of the top: circa 16 cm / circa 6.2 inch

weight: circa 503 gr.

we see a fowl pecking at a snake and the snake seizes the fowl by the legs,

this sculpture represents the cock and snake caught in a endless struggle, neither daring to let go

Prof. Wande Abimbola:

"WE ARE ONLY STRUGGLING, ALL OF US, THOSE WHO CHOOSE GOOD DESTINIES ARE NOT MANY"

the bird is a representation of Eye, the snake of Ejo,

a Guinea fowl is called Etu or Awo or Ediye Awo, a rooster / cock is Akuko, a chicken is Adi,

documentation: Yoruba, sculpture of West Africa, by William Fagg, John Pemberton 3rd, Bryce Holcombe, published in 1982 by Alfred A. Knopf, New York - page 178 and 179

Please note: we are not experts on the subject of tribal art, we have done some limited and unprofessional research, trying to attribute this item to a land, country, tribe, culture or people, to the best we could - do judge for yourself the tribal affilation and the correct age before bidding or buying - we are selling this item "as is" and we will not accept returns if the buyer finds that we are wrong concerning these matters.