Rare ram head "osamasinmi" · Nigeria, Benin / Owo · ID: 3053305
Starting price
EUR 1,000
Estimated price
EUR 2,000
Provenance
Hans Jacques Keller, Rheinfelden, SwitzerlandSize
H: 38,5 cm
H: 15.2 inch
Description
wood, pigments, handwritten collection number “271” on the underside
Such ram heads or human heads with ram horns were placed in front of relief-carved wooden panels at ancestor altars of high-ranking “owo” chiefs (see illustration). Similar to the bronze heads of the Benin kingdom, the “osamasinmi” received libation at the harvest of the first yam roots, since they incorporate the fruitful vital force that the gods may give through the intercession of the ancestors. It is suggested that the ram heads had a longer tradition than the human heads. Only a few ram heads have appeared in western collections and have been published.
Comparing literature
Schildkrout, Enid (ed.), Wild Spirits - Strong Medicine, New York 1989, p. 82