Context (CMS Context)
Bowl was left to Gordon Duncan by his grandmother. Her husband owned a coffee plantation at Lushoto, “Tanganyika”, before and after WWII. He was her second husband and came from a large house “Millcrest” Exmouth, Devon and had been Col. E.J. Carter 11th Hussars in WWI. Col. Carter spent some time in West Africa in 1920’s, where it is assumed that he collected the bowl. Gordon’s mother-in-law, Elizabeth Peers initially made contact with the Museum and offered the bowl for donation. 

Event Date 19/12/2008
Author: maa

Description (Physical description)
Divination bowl, agere ifa. A: Pot carved in high relief with a lid, B. The lid has crocodile figures and anthropomorphic figures carrying out different activities.
The bottom part of the bowl only has anthropomorphic figures involved in activities such as pounding food and bringing offerings. There are traces of pigment in both the pot and the lid. Large cracks in bowl- fair
Event Date 19/12/2008
Author: maa

Context (Amendments / updates)
Possibly an Opon igede ifa, a bowl used to store divination equipement, rather than an agere ifa, the raised bowl used to store sacred palm nuts used in ifa divination.

However, the bowls of Opon igede ifa, are typically divide to separate out the divination tray, beads, cowrie shells, kola or palm nuts, divination chains, and a tapper used to awaken the gods.
Event Date 27/11/2021
Author: rachel hand

Context (Analysis)
The bowl is very similar to other bowls carved by Areogun (or Arowogun), one of the great carvers of the 20th century, depicting scenes from daily life and Yoruba mythology, but requires further research before it can be definitely linked to him. 
Event Date 12/10/2022
Author: rachel hand