A Benin Bronze in the shape

A Benin Bronze in the shape of the face of an Oba, the neck and chin completely hidden under many layers of coral strings, which also lie around the forehead as a band and hang down from it next to six small feathers, a braided garland drapes around the lower face, on the head a a square cap representing a beaded cap, the full lips are just slightly open, the nose with wide nostrils springs from the domed forehead, the large fully rimmed eyes have iron inlays as pupils, star-shaped scarifications around the lower eyelids, the ears are shaped as a C-shaped bulge; a few tiny holes and a bit larger broken out area in the middle of the forehead, a beautiful encrusted patina, partly shiny, incl. stand.

Lit.: Philip J. C. Dark, An introduction to Benin art and technology, Oxford 1973. Phillips, T. (ed), Africa. The Art of a Continent, 1999. Paula Girshick Ben-Amos, The art of Benin, 1995. Ekpo Eyo, Frank Willett, Kunstschätze aus Alt-Nigeria, Mainz 1983. Barbara Plankensteiner (Hg.), Benin. Könige und Rituale. Höfische Kunst aus Nigeria, Wien 2007.

Height: 27 cm
Weight: 1,9 kg