A finely carved female effigy with 3 children , elaborate raisd designs , heavy indigo and mineral pigments and signs of field use. Yoruba peoples, Nigeria, Africa. This superb carved wooden figure of a kneeling woman with an infant children on her arms and back, and shown holding a bowl is referred to as "Olumeye" (‘One-who-knows-honour’). It depicts a kneeling devotee considered to be a medium to the spirit world. Such sculptures were used to hold kola nuts which were offered to important visitors, as shrine containers for offerings to an orisa, and to hold palm nuts used in traditional Ifa divination rituals. The sculpture measures 18 x 10 inches. Provenance: The Sol and Josephine Levitt collection, NYC.

Fair, eroded and weathered, what remains is solid.