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.

The object Memorial head of an “oba” with the object ID 3035697 was last part of the auction 75th tribal art auction at November 30, 2013 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 319 achieved a sales price of EUR 800.

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Comparing literature

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