Benin Head of an Oba, Edo Peoples, British Benin
Bronze (brass) head of a king (Oba), hollow cast. A high crested headdress crowns this sculpture of a Benin Oba. The upper portion is a thick curved braid attached to the base by six “spokes.” Two braids hang down the back of the head and along the sides of the face, which split at the bottom into two sections terminating with beads. The face has sunken eyes, an open mouth revealing teeth, and scarification in the form of eight raised cicatrices on the forehead.
The simulation of beaded work and woven fiber is characteristic of Benin bronzes, beautifully representing the ceremonial ornamentation of the Obas. When a new Oba is crowned, one of his first acts is to commission a bronze head of his father to place on the family altar. This is a way of paying homage and making a connection with the spirit of the former king though a beautiful work of art.
The head is an idealized image of an oba, or king, of the Kingdom of Benin (today's Nigeria). Such sculptural images typically represented the preceding ruler and were displayed at a shrine in his honor, serving as powerful symbols of kingship and lineage.
Condition: Good, as is.
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Bronze (brass) head of a king (Oba), hollow cast. A high crested headdress crowns this sculpture of a Benin Oba. The upper portion is a thick curved braid attached to the base by six “spokes.” Two braids hang down the back of the head and along the sides of the face, which split at the bottom into two sections terminating with beads. The face has sunken eyes, an open mouth revealing teeth, and scarification in the form of eight raised cicatrices on the forehead.
The simulation of beaded work and woven fiber is characteristic of Benin bronzes, beautifully representing the ceremonial ornamentation of the Obas. When a new Oba is crowned, one of his first acts is to commission a bronze head of his father to place on the family altar. This is a way of paying homage and making a connection with the spirit of the former king though a beautiful work of art.
The head is an idealized image of an oba, or king, of the Kingdom of Benin (today's Nigeria). Such sculptural images typically represented the preceding ruler and were displayed at a shrine in his honor, serving as powerful symbols of kingship and lineage.
Condition: Good, as is.
Sale price
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
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