Benin Head Representing an Oba
Nigeria
A head constructed along a vertical axis, the form organised through a contained facial volume surmounted by a diamond-lattice patterned cap with a circular opening at the crown, braided coiffure elements descending along the lateral planes to a ribbed collar.
Description
A small raised boss is set at the hairline above the brow. Coiled scroll ornaments are present at the ears. Dense vertical braided strands descend from the cap in a continuous fringe along either side of the face, extending to the shoulders. The eyes are defined in low relief beneath a shallow brow ridge; the mouth projects from the lower facial plane. The neck is articulated as a ribbed collar, distinct from the facial plane.
Surface is compact and stable. Oxidation is retained within recessed fields and incised registers; exposure is present at projecting elements.
Context
Among the Benin, heads of this type functioned within courtly and ancestral altar contexts associated with rank and commemorative practice.
Provenance
From the Felice Maffei Collection, acquired in Nigeria, 1985.
Details
- Title
- Benin Head Representing an Oba
- Culture
- Benin
- Origin
- Nigeria
- Date
- 20th century
- Dimensions
- H 30 cm (11.8 in) · W 17 cm (6.7 in) · D 20 cm (7.9 in)
- Medium
- Cast bronze
- Provenance
- From the Felice Maffei Collection, acquired in Nigeria, 1985.
- Condition
- Stable oxidation; incised definition preserved.
