A crowned head Benin bronze

A crowned head Benin bronze, near to life size head, striations incised on its face, this youthful face is round and rendered with precise naturalism, delicate and may lead to come female traits. A rolled collar is worn low on the neck and is characteristic of imagery associated with Benin people. There are three hols on the neck.

"This genre of commemorative portraiture is highly stylized and does not portray recognizable facial features, but rather renders the deceased king at the prime of his life. The focus is on the regalia and materials of kingship: both brass and coral were items of wealth obtained by Benin’s leadership from Europe through the coastal trade. Coral is of particular significance to the Edo as a metaphor for the ancestral realm of the sea. The use of brass for commemorative heads dates to the fifteenth century, as a way for the Oranmiyan Dynasty rules to distinguish themselves from the previous dynasty of rules. During this time, artists of Benin in dialogue with their patrons developed a sculptural program for commemoration in which the depiction of the oba went from representational to idealization, reinforcing the continuity of the dynasty and its identification with a consistent ideal of leadership. Even today, the Edo value brass for its red color and shiny surface, which make it both beautiful and frightening, properties befitting the images of divine monarchs. Beyond aesthetic qualities, the use of brass conferred on the works a sense of permanence and imbued them with the potential to deflect evil."

Barley, Nigel. The Art of Benin. The British Museum Press: London, 2010.

Dark, Phillip. An Illustrated Catalogue of Benin Art. G.K. Hall & co: Boston, 1982. Illus. 31 .'

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. Ezra, Kate. Royal Art of Benin: The Perls Collection in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Kaplan Flora S. Dr., ed. Images of power: Art of the Royal Court of Benin.

Height: 38 cm
Weight: 2,8 Kg