COLLECTION NAME:
The AMICA Library
Record
AMICA ID:
CMA_.1994.200
AMICA Library Year:
2003
Object Type:
Sculpture
Creator Nationality:
Africa, Nigeria, Yoruba, Oyo area, 19th century
Creator Name-CRT:
Africa, Nigeria, Yoruba, Oyo area, 19th century
Title:
Divination Cup
Title Type:
Primary
View:
Detail
Creation Date:
late 1800s
Creation Start Date:
1875
Creation End Date:
1900
Materials and Techniques:
wood
Classification Term:
Sculpture
Style or Period:
Africa, Nigeria, Yoruba, Oyo area, 19th century
Dimensions:
Overall: 31.7cm x 15.7cm x 15.9cm
AMICA Contributor:
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Owner Location:
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
ID Number:
1994.200
Credit Line:
Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund
Context:
Cups supported by a caryatid figure are essential implements in the Ifa divination riturals of the Yoruba people. In Ifa divination, a priest, or Babalawo, contacts the deity Orunmila on behalf of a supplicant who needs guidance. Orunmila, present at the time of creation, knows the destiny of all human beings. The divination cup holds palm nuts, which are cast by the priest to reveal which chants should be recited. Orunmila's advice to the petitioner is interpreted from these sacred chants.
Related Image Identifier Link:
CMA_.1994.200det01.tif
