Benin Head with Ceremonial Ornament Representing an Oba
Nigeria
A head constructed along a vertical axis, the form organised through a cylindrical ribbed neck supporting a contained facial volume surmounted by an openwork lattice cap, from which two opposing curved pierced blade-form projections rise above the crown.
Description
A raised boss is set at the centre of the forehead. A curved ring-form ornament crosses the face horizontally at mouth level, its ends terminating in small knobs at either cheek. Fine vertical striations are incised across the forehead and lower facial margins. Coiled ring ornaments are present at the ears. The neck is articulated with dense horizontal ribbing, forming a continuous collar register distinct from the facial plane. Small raised forms project from the base perimeter at regular intervals.
Surface is compact and stable. Oxidation is retained within incised registers and recessed fields; 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 with Ceremonial Ornament Representing an Oba
- Culture
- Benin
- Origin
- Nigeria
- Date
- 20th century
- Dimensions
- H 32 cm (12.6 in) · W 18 cm (7.1 in) · D 21 cm (8.3 in)
- Medium
- Cast bronze
- Provenance
- From the Felice Maffei Collection, acquired in Nigeria, 1985.
- Condition
- Stable oxidation; incised definition preserved.
