Memorial head of an "oba" ·  Nigeria, Benin · ID: 3035697

Description

wood, partly encrusted brown patina, cavity on the back, handwritten collection number “14” at the bottom, min. dam., cracks, small missing parts, traces of abrasion;
“oba” heads show common impersonal facial features, solely serving as demonstration of power and wealth. Versions in terracotta and wood were displayed on ancestor shrines of chiefs and bronze casters, while the heads made of brass were reserved for kings.

Comparing literature

Roy, Christopher D., Kilengi, Afrikanische Kunst aus der Sammlung Bareiss, München 1997, p. 305, ill. 199