This Bronze sculpture of the Idia Queen is a commemorative bronze head from mediaeval Benin that probably represents Queen Idia, who was a powerful monarch during the early sixteenth century at the Benin court.

"Four* cast bronzeheads of the queen are known and are currently in the collections of the British Museum, the World Museum in Liverpool, the Nigerian National Museum in Lagos and the Ethnological Museum of Berlin.

It is a very realistic representation of a young woman from the Benin court, who wears a high pointed ukpe-okhue crown of lattice-shaped red coral beads. The eyes and two bands between them are inset with iron. Above each eyebrow are engraved four cicatrices. The sophisticated technique and design of the four heads suggest that they were made in the early sixteenth century, when Queen Idia, mother of Oba Esigie, ruled the Benin court." Source: revolvy.com

* This is not the fith Idia bronze. There are in reality probably much more.

TL Analysis by Kotalla 350 years +/- 20 percent

photo Felix von Luschan, Benin queen, Die Altertümer von Benin, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

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Height: 41 cm
Weight: 3,2 kg

photo: wolfgang-jaenicke.com, for more information, please write us an e-mail with the identification number of the photo identification no. DSC01113.jpg