A bronze head in the style of Benin, Nigeria, of conical shape, the mouth rhombic, teeth bared, below a nose with prominent nostrils, framed with rimmed eyes, engraved pupils with rather oxidised iron inlays, a stepped coiffure, above a prominent thick, cylindrical crest with numerous, srtriated edges, greenish oxidised patinaof different layers. In some ways, this sculpture resembles the shape of the bronze bells of Benin. However, the size and the attachment holes at the base clearly indicate a helmet-like mask that belongs to a rare Benin figure canon.

"The head served as a kind of helmet or headdress for the Oduduwa Mask Festival and is therefore often called the Oduduwa Mask. At this festival, several people dance back and forth to commemorate the founders of the Oranmiyan Royal Dynasty to emphasize the supremacy of the royal ancestors over the common folk. The name Oduduwa (or Odudua) means Creator God and refers to the founding myth of the current dynasty. Accordingly, Oduduwa, the king of the Yoruba kingdom of Ife, sent his son Oranmiyan to Benin to establish a royal dynasty there. While the head shown here symbolizes a woman, the male counterpart carries a staff-like attachment. The facial expression is more expressive than many other heads. The open mouth with clearly protruding teeth is a unique exception in Benin art. William Fagg sees in this style a connection to the style of the Ijo from the Niger Delta. According to Egharevba, the Beninese chronicler, this type of mask was not introduced until around the middle of the 18th century. Due to the dating of this mask to around 400 years, however, the question of the first use of such masks has to be asked again." Not mentioned on Digital Benin".

Lit.: William Fagg: Bildwerke aus Nigeria, Munich 1963, p. 47. Paula Girshick Ben-Amos: The Art of Benin, London 1995, p. 117. Kristian Fenzl(ed.), Armand Duchateau: Africa. Head Sculptures, Krems 1998, p. 92. W./ B. Plankensteiner (ed.): Benin. Kings and Rituals. Courtly Art from Nigeria, Vienna 2007, p. 474/475.

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Height: 30 cm
Weight: 3,1 kg