A bronze head in the style of Ife which is, according to Frobenius, probably the sea god or the sea goddess Olokun. There is a copy in the Brooklyn Museum whose provenance is unknown and there are some copies in the National Museum in Lagos. In the meantime, there may be a few dozen bronzes of this divinity of different ages. According to Frobenius, these sculptures are to be buried at the foot of trees and would be dug up again if they were used for ritual purposes; greenish oxidised patina, partly encrusted. "Schätze aus Alt-Nigeria", Minister der Kultur der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik, page 16 ff;

This bronze head shows the traditional crown that the king wore during the classical period. It is very elaborate. The face is round and full and very even with an expression of calm serenity and quiet dignity, scarification all over the face, the lips and eyes are bordered and accentuated, the upper eyelid extends beyond the lower one; oxidised bronze, a beautiful patina. Certificate of authenticity and provenance.

Lit.: Frank Willett: Ife. Metropole afrikanischer Kunst, Bergisch Gladbach 1967, S. 32 ff, Tafel 6/7, S. 37.; Wunmonije Compound, Ife, Museum für Ife-Altertümer, Ekpo Eyo, Frank Willett: Kunstschätze aus Alt-Nigeria, Mainz 1983, S. 104 William B. FAGG: Bildwerke aus Nigeria, München 1963, S. 38 Elsy Leuzinger: Die Kunst von Schwarz-Afrika, Recklinghausen 1972, S. 145, Schätze aus Alt Nigeria, Ministerium für Kultur der DDR, Bode Museum 1985, S.117. Enid Schildkrout in: Dynasty and Divinity. Ife Art in Ancient Nigeria. Museum for African Art, New York, 2009, 4. Dynasty and Divinity. Ife Art in Ancient Nigeria. Museum for African Art, New York, 2009, 12, 22, Abb. 3. Ekpo Eyo, Frank Willett, Kunstschätze aus Alt-Nigeria. Verlag Philipp von Zabern, 1983, 20f., Abb. 44, 45, 50. Gernot Feucht, Early Nigerian bronzes under Scientific Scrutiny. In: Ife, Akan und Benin. Westafrikanische Kunst aus 2000 Jahren. Arnoldsche Art Publications, 2000. 29ff. (Abb. 10, Statue of a dignitary, Ife/Nigeria). Frank Willett, Ife. Metropole afrikanischer Kunst. LübbeVerlag, 2. Auflage 1975, 20, 32, 59ff. (Bronzes from Ita Yemoo), 67ff. (lost-wax-method), Taf. 6 (Bronze Oni, Ita Yemoo). Taf. 7 (Bronze Oni, Wunmonije Compound). Taf. III and 10 (Bronze couple from Ita Yemoo). About the political significance of bronze images of dignitaries: Suzanne Preston Blier, Art and risk in ancient Yoruba. Cambridge University Press, 2017, 247ff., 337ff.

sold

Height: 41 cm
Weight: 3 kg