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Commemorative head of a king

National Museum of African Art

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Object Details

Benin kingdom court style
Edo artist
Label Text
This head was once displayed on an altar honoring a particular oba, or king. It is not a specific portrait but an image of the status and regalia of kingship. Particular emphasis is given to the collar and crown made of imported coral beads.
Description
Cast copper alloy cylindrical head with a beaded neck to the lower lip of the mouth, netted bead cap with clusters of beads on the sides, cylindrical beads in front, strands of beads in front of theears, braids behind the ears and a single large bead on the forehead. The face has 3 keloids over each eye.
Provenance
Benin Punitive Expedition, 1897
Mrs. E.C.Gaze and R.H.H. Barneby, 1965
Sotheby and Co. auction, London, March 29, 1965
Kamer Gallery, New York, 1967 to 1968
Joseph H. Hirshhorn, Greenwich, Connecticut, 1968 to 1979
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 1979 to 1985
Exhibition History
Visionary: Viewpoints on Africa's Arts, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., November 4, 2017-ongoing
Conversations: African and African American Artworks in Dialogue - From the Collections of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and Camille O. and William H. Cosby, Jr., National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, November 7, 2014-January 24, 2016
Pavilion, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., October 2, 2002
The Ancient West African City of Benin, A.D. 1300-1897, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., September 28, 1987-June 1, 2004
Published References
Freyer, Bryna. 1987. Royal Benin Art in the Collection of the National Museum of African Art. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, no. 2.
Kreamer, Christine Mullen and Adrienne L. Childs (eds). 2014. Conversations: African and African American Artworks in Dialogue from the Collections of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and Camille O. and William H. Cosby, Jr. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, pp. 45-46, 50, no. 44, pl. 1.
Robbins, Warren M. and Nancy I. Nooter. 1989. African Art in American Collections. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, p. 215, no. 553.
Credit Line
Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn to the Smithsonian Institution in 1979
18th century
Object number
85-19-16
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Type
Sculpture
Medium
Copper alloy, iron
Dimensions
H x W x D: 33 x 23.5 x 23.2 cm (13 x 9 1/4 x 9 1/8 in.)
Geography
Nigeria
See more items in
National Museum of African Art Collection
Exhibition
Visionary: Viewpoints on Africa's Arts
On View
NMAfA, Second Level Gallery (2193)
National Museum of African Art
Topic
Commemorative
Ancestral
Status
Shrine/Altar
male
Record ID
nmafa_85-19-16
Usage of Metadata (Object Detail Text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys7f7603091-3fbd-4569-926b-9d46e326ce9f
This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Open Access page.
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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