A bronze sculpture of an Ooni (Oba), in the style of Ife, Nigeria who shows the traditional signs of dignity that the king wore during the classical period: a crown, a heavy pearl necklace around the neck, another chain hanging from the neck to the knees and a net of fine strings of pearls with two knots in the middle covering the naked chest. In his left hand he's holding a sign of authority representing once a ram's horn filled with magical substances called "ashe" (exists only fragmentary) and in his right hand a sceptre whose archetype is made of pearls and cloth, both symbols of his authority and power. He also wears wide bracelets around his wrists. He has got a small, gently bulging belly. His robe, over which his belly bulges has a sloping hem. The face is ovoid and full and very even with an expression of calm serenity and quiet dignity. The head of this figure measures more than a quarter of the figures´ length, a proportion that is particularly characteristic of West African sculpture; a bronze with many different layers of oxidations.

In the well-known bronzes from Ife—particularly the royal portraits representing the Ọni (king of Ife)—the figures are often depicted holding symbolic objects that communicate their status, authority, and sacred role. These objects are not merely ornamental but function as visual signifiers within the religious and political cosmology of the Yoruba-speaking world.

One of the most prominent examples is the life-sized copper alloy figure of a king, dated to the 14th century and held in the British Museum. This figure holds a staff or sceptre in one hand, which is widely interpreted as a symbol of royal authority. In other examples, the Ọni is depicted holding a flywhisk (irukere), an emblem of dignity, purification, and leadership. The flywhisk remains today a ceremonial item carried by Yoruba rulers and priests during public rituals and festivals.

Other figures, particularly in terracotta, may hold ritual bowls, swords, or divination-related objects, such as staffs associated with Orisha worship. These items emphasize the Ọni’s function as a spiritual intermediary—someone who negotiates between the human realm and the divine. The act of holding such objects conveys not only political power but also sacrificial responsibility and divine sanction.

The remarkable naturalism of Ife sculpture, especially in the facial modeling, contrasts with the symbolic abstraction of these attributes. The faces often exhibit individualized features rendered with refined detail, including scarification marks and realistic proportions. However, these representations were not portraits in a Western sense but idealized depictions of royal archetypes imbued with àṣẹ, the metaphysical power to enact authority and transformation.

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

CAB07244

"I believe that the import of all art objects from Africa—whether copies or originals—should be prohibited to protect Africa." Quote: Prof. Dr. Viola König, former director of the Ethnological Museum of Berlin, now HUMBOLDTFORUM

Legal Framework

Under the 1970 UNESCO Convention in combination with the Kulturgutschutz Gesetz (KGSG) any claim for the restitution of cultural property becomes time-barred three years after the competent authorities of the State of origin obtain knowledge of the object’s location and the identity of its possessor. 

Al.l bronzes and terracotta items offered have been publicly exhibited in Wolfgang Jaenicke Gallery since 2001. Organisations such as DIGITAL BENIN and academic institutions such as the Technical University of Berlin, which have been intensively involved in restitution-reseaches  (translocation-project) over the past seven years, are aware of our work, have inspected large parts of our collection and have visited us in our dependance in Lomé, Togo, among other places, to learn about the international Art trade on site. Furthermore, the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) in Abuja, Nigeria, has been informed about our collection. In no case in the past have there been restitution claims against private institutions such as the Wolfgang Jaenicke Gallery

Our Gallery addresses these structural challenges through a policy of maximum transparency and documentation. Should any questions or uncertainties arise, we invite you to contact us. Each matter will be reviewed diligently using all available resources

Non-binding TL analysis 410 years +/-19,8 %

sold

Height: 63 cm
Weight: 12,2 kg