Commemorative Head of an Oba of the Benin kingdom / Artist Unknown, African, Nigeria, Benin
About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 2005/1.260
- Title
- Commemorative Head of an Oba of the Benin kingdom
- Artist Nationality
- Nigerian
- Medium and Support
- bronze
- Object Creation Place
- Africa (continent)
- Nigeria (nation)
- Creation Place 1
- Africa (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- Nigeria (nation)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Candis and Helmut Stern
- Dimensions
- 49.5 cm x 26.5 cm x 28.7 cm (19 1/2 in. x 10 7/16 in. x 11 5/16 in.)
- Primary Object Classification
- Metalwork
- Primary Object Type
- head
- Physical Description
- Cast brass head of a human. An opening at the top would have supported a carved elephant tusk. The heads wears elaborate "winged" headgear.
- Subject Matter
- Commemorative heads wear used in royal shrines in the Benin kingdom. Kings were honored and cared for after death, with their shrine as the focal point of supplication. The head is particularly important in Benin spirituality, as the head holds the fate of the individual. The king's head, however, holds the fate of the whole kingdom, and so must be properly cared for.
- Secondary Keywords
- aristocracy
- biological components
- buildings and the land
- components
- components and systems
- components by specific context
- copper alloy
- copper and copper alloy
- descriptors
- figures
- figures (representations)
- groups of people
- inorganic material
- materials
- materials by composition
- metal
- metal and metal products
- metal by composition or origin
- nobility
- nonferrous metal
- objects we use
- people
- people (agents)
- people and culture
- people and occupations
- political figures
- religious structures
- single built works
- single built works by function
- single built works by specific type
- social classes
- social classes by specific type
- social groups
- the human body
- upper body
- upper class
- visual works
- visual works by subject type
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Record
- 2005/1.260
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2005-sl-1.260/2005_1_260.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
Portfolios
- In public portfolios
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"Commemorative Head of an Oba of the Benin kingdom; Artist Unknown, African, Nigeria, Benin." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2005-sl-1.260/2005_1_260.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 25, 2024.
