Lot 138
West Africa, Nigeria, Edo, Court of Benin, ca. late 19th century CE. An impressive brass cast "choker" head depicting an Oba - king of Benin - wearing an elaborate, netlike "coral" cap with a pair of projecting, curved, horns on either side, a cylindrical staff with a spiked finial at the center, and a wired visor at the front. Flanked by a pair of beaded strands that frame his handsome face, the noble ruler gazes forth from huge, almond-shaped eyes above a broad nose and full lips held closed. Naturalistic ears flank his idealistic visage as a coral choker envelops his neck. A piece like this would have been commissioned by a newly enthroned Oba to stand on an altar and commemorate a previous Oba, most likely his father. Size: 4.1" W x 8" H (10.4 cm x 20.3 cm)
The Oba of Benin rules via divine right and serves as the being through which his deified royal ancestors protect and invigorate the kingdom. In Benin, the head is a prominent symbol representing an individual's ability to progress successfully through life and develop himself so that he may one day be a revered and helpful ancestor. A sculptural representation of Benin rulers with aliform head ornamentation like we see in this example was first introduced by Oba Osemwede (1816-46).
Though the metal composition of this piece is consistent with that of brass, examples like this have traditionally been referred to as bronzes. Joseph Nevadomsky and Natalie Lawson explain in "The Dating Game: The Scientific Analysis of Benin Copper-Alloy Art-From TL to 21Pb" that "That problem is complex. Keep the following in mind. First is that Benin cast artifacts are typically called Benin bronzes but they are now referred to as brass; the composition of a sample of objects at the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian, Washington, D.C., ranged 'from 64 to 94% copper, 0 to7% tin, 1 to 17% lead, and 0 to 16% zinc' as well as 'small quantities of arsenic, silver, antimony, and nickel' with iron at 0.4 to 5% Schrenk [1] Copperalloy is the correct designation, but Benin 'bronze' became equated with royal art from Europe early on and stuck for a century at least while brass is now commonly used by art historians." (Joseph Nevadomsky, Natalie Lawson. The Dating Game: The Scientific Analysis of Benin Copper-Alloy Art-From TL to 21Pb. Open Access J Arch & Anthropol. 1(5): 2019. OAJAA.MS.ID.000525.)
Similar examples may be found in the British Museum, published in Leon Underwood's "Bronzes of West Africa" - figure 31 - (London, 1949) and William B. FAGG: Bildwerke aus Nigeria, Munchen 1963, S. 45; the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Ethnologisches Museum published in Felix von LUSCHAN: Die Altertumer von Benin, Band 1-3, Berlin 1919, Tafel 59; The Perls Collection in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York published in Kate EZRA: Royal Art of Benin. The Perls Collection in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 1992, S. 36; and several other museum collections.
Provenance: ex-Stein collection, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, USA, acquired prior to 2010
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#169079
- Condition: Some perforations to chin, shoulder, and verso. Expected nicks and abrasions throughout. Minor chipping to top finial of headdress. Light softening of detail to areas, commensurate with age. Otherwise, excellent.
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