An Ife bronze head

An Ife bronze head, which maybe represents the usupartor Lajuwa, who took possession of the throne of Ife after the death of Ooni Aworokolokin or it is an unknown young Oba; produced in the lost wax casting method with very fine thin walls, partly greenish encrusted patina.

The portrait is of a relative youthful man. It is calm and dignified with the mouth shut. It is particularly engaging - in quality and appearance, and with deep serenity. Art-historical importance of this piece lies in its highly developed and distinctive sculptural style, in the tension between realism and abstraction. On one side it is naturalistic, portrait-like and on the other side it´s classical and timeless. It is an idealized naturalism. The work is characterized by the typical Ife style features: The corners of the upper eyelids hang over those of the lower ones. Around the lips is an accented edge. There are grooves around the neck.

Literature:
Bronzes and Terra-Cottas from Ile-Ife, H. Meyerowitz and V. Meyerowitz, The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs,. 75, No. 439 (Oct., 1939), pp. 150-152+154-155. Arts de L'Afrique Noire, Jean Laude, translated by Jean Decock, University of California Press Berkeley, 1966, 1. Paperback-Edition 1973, p.118. 2000 ans d’histoire africaine. Le sol, la parole et l’écrit. Mélanges en hommage à Raymond Mauny. Tome I. Paris : Société française d'histoire d'outre-mer. Ife and Raymond Mauny, by Thurstan Shaw, 1981, 5-6-1, pp. 109-135. Nigerian Bronzes: work from Ife, K. C. Murray, Vol. 15, Issue 57, March 1941 , pp. 71-80.

“I believe that the import of all art objects from Africa—whether copies or originals—should be prohibited to protect Africa." Quote: Prof. Dr. Viola König, former director of the Ethnological Museum of Berlin, now HUMBOLDTFORUM 

The so-called ‘Savoy/Sarre report’ expresses a similarly absurd view, according to which every object from Africa must provide positive proof that it was acquired legally. This effectively represents a reversal of guilt that is hardly compatible with the reality in Africa. Fortunately, there are laws such as the German Cultural Property Protection Act (KGSG), which are somewhat closer to balancing interests than these demands, which are detached from reality.  

Legal Framework

Under the 1970 UNESCO Convention in combination with the Kulturgutschutz Gesetz (KGSG) any claim for the restitution of cultural property becomes time-barred three years after the competent authorities of the State of origin obtain knowledge of the object’s location and the identity of its possessor. All bronzes and terracotta items offered have been publicly exhibited in Wolfgang Jaenicke Gallery since 2001. Organisations such as DIGITAL BENIN and academic institutions such as the Technical University of Berlin, which have been intensively involved in restitution-reseaches (translocation-project) over the past seven years, are aware of our work, have inspected large parts of our collection and have visited us in our dependance in Lomé, Togo, among other places, to learn about the international Art trade on site. Furthermore, the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) in Abuja, Nigeria, has been informed about our collection. In no case in the past have there been restitution claims against private institutions such as the Wolfgang Jaenicke Gallery Our Gallery addresses these structural challenges through a policy of maximum transparency and documentation. Should any questions or uncertainties arise, we invite you to contact us. Each matter will be reviewed diligently using all available resources. Non-binding TL Analysis on request, 350,- Euro extra 

TL Analysis Kotalla 400 years +/- 18 percent

Height: 31 cm
Weight: 1,9 kg

Ife - Benin Exhibition, July/August 2019, Wolfgang Jaenicke Gallery, Berlin.