Tapper (Iroke Ifa)
Yoruba
17th or 18th century
Medium
Ivory
Dimensions
47 × 5.1 × 7.7 cm (18 1/2 × 2 × 3 in.)
Classification
sculpture
Department
Arts of Africa
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
155958
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
A Yoruba diviner strikes a tapper against his tray to call the deity of fate, Orunmila, to the proceedings. The middle section of this ivory tapper depicts a kneeling hunter who clutches a bow and arrow in his right hand and a large crocodile in his left.