H x W x D: 37.8 x 17.4 x 15.5 cm (14 7/8 x 6 7/8 x 6 1/8 in.)
Type:
Sculpture
Geography:
Benin City, Nigeria
Date:
ca. 1924
Label Text:
In the Benin Kingdom, the king (oba) had the exclusive right to display cast copper alloy commemorative heads on altars to his ancestors. According to oral tradition, Oba Osemwede (reign c.1816-1848) gave permission for certain chiefs in the capital city to place human form wooden heads on their family altars. These heads could also be placed on private altars dedicated to the individual's head, his ability to organize his destiny. The heads have representations of the coral beads that are bestowed by the oba as a emblem of rank and office and the feather in the cap that is a sign of chieftaincy. The coconut shell inlay on the forehead identify a male Edo. The traces of gilding on this piece suggests the sheet brass found on some heads, and according to the late William Fagg (noted scholar and former keeper of the British Museum) may indicate that this piece was carved for the 1924 British Empire Exhibition at Wembley, England.
Description:
Cylindrical wood head with its neck covered in carved beadwork, bands of beads around the forehead, grid textured hair and a feather projecting from the top on the proper left side. The head has inlaid rectangles of coconut shell on the forehead, and as pupils in the eyes. Overall traces of gold paint are visible.
Provenance:
Joseph H. Hirshhorn, Greenwich, Connecticut, -- to 1985
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