Compact Ibeji

The former owner of this delightful ibeji acquired it some time between 1964 and 1966 during his years as a Peace Corps volunteer stationed in Ibadan, Nigeria. After buying some reproduction Benin-style bronzes from traveling Hausa salesmen, the young volunteer discovered that local people had traditional artifacts in their homes which they would readily sell. With no TV to watch, limited electricity, and the internet still several decades a way, the volunteer entertained himself by visiting local artisans and taking motorbike rides to outlying villages, where he asked villagers if they had any carved objects they would be willing to sell. This ibeji, he related, was among the first ones he collected. $350

9.5″

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