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THBYoruba Wood Ifa Divination Tray - Opon Ifa
Lot 43a
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:
$1,000 - $1,800
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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, NM
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/indigenous-art---ralph-t-coe-center-santa-fe-nm-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@artemisfinearts.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@artemisfinearts.com
View Full Catalog (452)
- Lot Description
West Africa, Nigeria, Yoruba culture, ca. 1900 CE. Richly adorned with symbolic imagery, this wooden Ifa divination tray (Opon Ifa) features a rectangular form and a raised relief-carved border surmounted by two human heads, likely representing honored ancestors called upon during the ritual process. These carved faces gaze outward toward the diviner, serving as spiritual witnesses and intermediaries between the living and the unseen realm. In Yoruba tradition, the diviner (babalawo) plays a central role as mediator between the gods, ancestors, spirits, and humankind. Ifa divination is performed by manipulating sixteen sacred palm nuts, whose resulting patterns are interpreted by the babalawo and marked into a thin layer of powdered wood or other fine dust spread across the tray's surface. Size: 13.4" L x 9" W (34 cm x 22.9 cm); 11" H (27.9 cm) on included custom stand.
The border’s geometric and textured motifs frame the smooth central panel where inscriptions are made, while the paired heads at the top connect the practice of divination to both human lineage and divine authority. Their placement may also relate to Esu, the divine messenger and guardian of ritual communication. Positioned opposite the diviner during consultation, this area becomes the focal point of the process.
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, acquired in April 18, 1999; ex-Frankly Scarlet, Rio Rancho, New Mexico, USA
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.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
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#196394Chipping to lower right and nicks to raised areas and edges. Otherwise, good presentation with nice remaining detail and rich patina to surface. Traces of blue pigment in areas.Condition
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