About the lot N° 164
Title : (Africa.) Divination. Yoruba Diviner'S Carved Wooden Plate, Ivory Pointer And Necklace Of 19Th Century Ceremonial Glass Trade Beads
Size : 15 x 12-1/2 inchesNotes : Divining or telling the future, or interpreting the present or past, is a custom common to almost every so-called primitive culture. In Africa, divination is an important part of every day life: When should I build my house, will I have a son or a daughter, why have I not prospered, or sometimes more sinister, is 'so and so' a witch? There are all manner of divining instruments, but the present one is the most common to the Ifa tradition of the Yoruba of Western Nigeria. The Babalawo, or Diviner would typically take a handful of bones, teeth, bits of glass, cowries, seeds and other material, shake them up, and toss it all on the plate (the opon Ifa). This plate usually has the face or faces of Eshu the messenger, sometimes called the trickster carved on its edge (as does the present plate). He would then interpret the form that the material had taken, and using the ivory pointer, would indicate to the client what the position of each thing on the board meant. The reverse side of this type of board has another, smaller area in its center. If something unpleasant, sinister or actually evil presents itself, the Babalawo would then toss the material on this side. For examples like this plate see John Henry Drewel, Yoruba, Nine Centuries of African Art and Thought (Center for African Art, Abrams, 1989).Swann Auction Galleries, auctioneer, New York, US
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Sale title : PRINTED & MANUSCRIPT AFRICAN-AMERICANA
Sale date : 21 Mar 2013
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Sale Reference : Live Sale
