Àgéré Ifá (Ifá divination vessel) with kneeling woman

This ivory divination vessel (àgéré Ifá), consisting of a bowl supported by a kneeling female figure, served as a receptacle for the sixteen sacred palm nuts (ikin) essential to Ifá divination. Through this medium, Ifá priests communicated with the god of fate, Ọ̀rúnmìlà, to obtain insights into an individual's destiny. The investment in costly ivory and skilled artistry elevate this vessel beyond its divinatory function.

This tribute takes the form of a kneeling female figure, whose legs are folded beneath her. She balances an offering bowl on her head and supports it with raised arms, hands held to either side of it. Her strong, broad torso contrasts with the graceful sweep of her attenuated arms. Her facial features are boldly carved, with deeply incised pupils and three vertical cicatrization markings above either eye. A beaded necklace that rests on her chest is her only form of bodily adornment.

Most àgéré Ifá are made out of wood. The relative rarity of ivory àgéré Ifá, such as this one, suggests that they were either owned by the highest-ranking Ifá priests or that they served as the ritual arts of royalty. On stylistic grounds, this work has been attributed to the Yoruba ivory-carving center at Owo, located on the far-eastern edge of Yorubaland. Owo's leadership traces its origins to the divine kings of the neighboring city-state of Ife. According to oral traditions, Owo's founding king was one of the youngest sons of the divinatory god, Ọ̀rúnmìlà. Owo emered as a distinctive regional artistic center, specializing in ivory carving. Owo artisan's mastery of this medium was so acclaimed that the town's ivory carvers were sought after by patrons throughout southwestern Nigeria.

The àgéré vessel type, which is designed to hold the 16 sacred ikin, has been likened to a miniature temple of Ọ̀rúnmìlà. The figure that serves as the vessel's base may take a variety of forms, including a dancer, a musician, or an equestrian figure. These subjects at once reflect the diviner's clients' hopes for prosperity and express their gratitude to Ọ̀rúnmìlà for successful consultation. The female supplicant depicted in this work is understood to be especially effective in predisposing the gods to act favorably on the client's behalf, as an ideal means of expressing thanks.



Further Reading:








Henry J. Drewal, John Pemberton III, and Rowland Abiodun, Yoruba: Nine Centuries of African Art and Thought. Exh. Cat. New York: Center for African Art, 1989



Henry J. Drewal, "Art and Divination Among the Yoruba: Design and Myth," Africana Journal 14, nos. 2-3 (1987)



Kate Ezra, Royal Art of Benin: The Perls Collection, Exh. cat. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1992



Alisa LaGamma, Art and Oracle: African Art and Rituals of Divination, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000, Cat. 15.