Head of Oni
Bini O Edo (Benin) · Nigeria
Reference: BRN-29
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- Height
- 21 cm
- Material
- Bronze
Ife's art is characterized by the beauty and balance of its lines and by a penetrating realism and a swrenity that seems to emanate from kings…
Enquire about this objectFull original description
Ife's art is characterized by the beauty and balance of its lines and by a penetrating realism and a swrenity that seems to emanate from kings and queens in all their representations.
A reduced head of an Oni, king of ife, with its characteristic crown on the head on whose forehead stands a plume. Today the king of ife wears the same crown representative of his function, formed by a vertical segment braided and topped on its tip by a pointed bulge. This type of head was placed on a wooden effigy, dressed, to represent the deceased king during funerals and then buried after the ceremony in a shrine near the palace. The grooves of the neck are still today considered a sign of beauty among the Yoruba. Ritual striated scarifications surmount his face.
Further technical information
- Attributed period
- Mid-century XX
Details transcribed from the original catalogue; they are not a recent physical inspection.
Country on the map
Nigeria. The country associated with the catalog is shown, not the current location of the piece.
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Attributions, dates and accounts come from the preserved catalogue. They do not constitute certification of authenticity or provenance. An object’s presence on this website does not mean it is available for sale.
