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Twin Figures (Ère Ìbejì)
Artist / Origin: Yoruba artist, Nigeria
Region: Africa
Date: Early 20th century
Period: 1900 CE – 2010 CE
Material: Wood
Medium: Sculpture
Dimensions: H: approx. 10 in. (25.4 cm.) (each)
Location: National Museum, Lagos, Nigeria
Credit: Photo Courtesy of Marilyn Houlberg
Ancestral Effigy (Rambaramp)
Artist / Origin: Vanuatu artist(s), Tomman Island, Vatbuyang Village, Vanuatu
Region: Oceania
Date: Mid-20th century
Period: 1900 CE – 2010 CE
Material: Fiber, bamboo, bone, paint
Medium: Other
Dimensions: H: 89 in. (226.1 cm.), W: 38 in. (96.5 cm.), D: 15 in. (38.1 cm.)
Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit: © The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Ms. Terry Beck/Art Resource, NY
In many cultures, art serves as a means to keep the deceased present among the living. Sometimes, as with mourning miniatures, this is done with portraits that act as reminders of those lost. Other times, art is understood as a vessel that can literally contain the spirit or soul of the dead individual. This is the case with both ère ìbejì in Yorubaland and rambaramp in Vanuatu.