A fine and very well handled Ibeji female twin fetish idol with openwork coiffure and classic features and a deep well handled surface suggesting ritual use.

 The Yoruba peoples have an unusual Practice of carving an idol to house half of the departed twins soul , which was fed and taken care of for the life of the surviving twin or family. 

The sculpture measures 10 inches tall. 

Yoruba peoples, Nigeria, West Africa. 

Provenance: Field collected in situ by the Taylor family while working for the Peace Corps in the 1960s. The statue has been in their private collection ever since.