Origin - Yoruba, Benin

Use: Unity, Offering

This cowrie shell bath depicts a kneeling woman carrying the base on her head. The vessel is very wide, shallow, with a chevron-patterned rim. It is carved into the figure’s hairstyle. Small incisions represent fine braids, gathered into buns a few centimeters above the nape of the neck. She bears a series of three scarifications on her forehead and on both cheeks, common amongst Yoruba peoples. The eyes are convex, with a visible hole in the right eye. The contours of the ears are clearly defined. The roughly carved nose is flat, while the nostrils flare outward. She has full lips and a cylindrical neck. Her arms are bent, and both hands hold her very prominent breasts.