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Ifá divination vessel (àgéré Ifá)
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
The mother figure of this vessel from the Southern Ekiti region represents a devotee who kneels before the gods. The vessel once held the 16 sacred palm nuts essential to divination rituals. The object was used by a priest as a medium through which to communicate with the god of fate, Orunmila, in order to gain insight into an individual’s destiny or to understand the cause of misfortune.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineIfá divination vessel (àgéré Ifá), mid- late 1800s. Africa, West Africa, Nigeria, possibly Èkìtì State, Yorùbá-style carver. Wood and colorant; overall: 31.7 x 15.7 x 15.9 cm (12 1/2 x 6 3/16 x 6 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund, 1994.200
