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THBExhibited Pair of Yoruba Beaded Apo Ifa Divination Bags
Lot 48c
About Seller
Artemis Fine Arts
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
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Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$400 - $600
Starting Bid
$200
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| $0 | $25 |
| $300 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
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| $5,000 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,500 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 | $20,000 |
About Auction
Live
By Artemis Fine Arts
Aug 22, 2025
Set Reminder
2025-08-22 10:00:00
2025-08-22 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Indigenous Art Ralph T. Coe Center Santa Fe
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/indigenous-art-ralph-t-coe-center-santa-fe-20324
Featuring works of art from the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a non-profit focused on promoting Indigenous Arts globally. All proceeds from the sale of these items will support future grants to Rehoming Program participants. Artemis Fine Arts info@artemisgallery.com
Featuring works of art from the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a non-profit focused on promoting Indigenous Arts globally. All proceeds from the sale of these items will support future grants to Rehoming Program participants. Artemis Fine Arts info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (451)
- Lot Description
West Africa, Nigeria, Yoruba people, ca. early 20th century CE. A matched pair of Yoruba beaded divination bags, or apo Ifa, richly embroidered in glass beads over cloth and suspended from broad, natural-fiber straps. Each panel displays a vivid beaded face framed by a dynamic field of geometric and symbolic motifs, the features modeled in raised beadwork with inset eyes and patterned cheeks. One face is rendered in bright yellow with a diamond forehead mark, the other in deep purple, each bordered by interlocking loop designs and underlined by a bold zigzag lightning motif. Beaded tassels with small metal bells finish the lower edge. The apo Ifa is the most personal and emblematic accessory of a Yoruba diviner, or babalawo. More than decorative, its colors and motifs form a visual commentary on the diviner's vocation. Colors such as blue for Oshun's cool medicinal waters, red for Shango's fiery thunder, and black for Eshu's intermediary force evoke complex associations within the Yoruba pantheon. Size (both about the same): 40" L x 12.5" W (101.6 cm x 31.8 cm)
The faces on the panels symbolize the ori inu, or inner head, representing personal destiny bound to one's guiding deity (orisha). The looped triangular border is associated with Shango's priests, while the chevron below the face recalls the zigzag of lightning, reinforcing the Shango connection.
As portable containers for divination tools - palm nuts, chain, tapper, and small tray - these bags were essential to the traveling professional. The beadwork's luminosity and layered symbolism reflect Yoruba beliefs in balance between hot and cool spiritual forces, the intertwined powers of Oshun, Shango, and Eshu, and the deeply personal relationship between diviner and deity.
Exhibited: 2002, October 3-December 15, "Selections from the Ralph T. Coe Collection of African Art." Allen Memorial Museum, Oberlin College. Oberlin, Ohio, USA.
Published in exhibition catalogue for "Selections from the Ralph T. Coe Collection of African Art." Allen Memorial Museum, Oberlin College. Oberlin, Ohio, USA, p. 21, ill. #7.
Provenance: Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, acquired in 2010 via descent; ex-private collection of Ralph T. Coe, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, purchased in 1959 in Hall, England, UK
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
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#196336Both have old, inactive moth damage and were freezer treated from July 31st to August 11th, 2006. Bag with yellow face is missing 9 bells and 1 tassel, as well as a small area of blue beads at top right corner. Bag with blue face is missing 7 bells with some bead loss on tassels and fringe. Both have some loose beads in areas, as well as fraying and holes to cloth. Some staining in areas. Nice overall beadwork and vibrant colors. Age-commensurate patina to cloth.Condition
- Shipping Info
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