100 - Commemorative Head

Commemorative Head Hardwood with dark inlays, aged patina and signs of wear, minor localized erosion, chips. Edo, Kingdom of Benin, Nigeria. Presumed date: second half of the 19th century. H: 47 cm This head features a face with large, wide-open eyes, accentuated by raised eyelids. The straight nose and subtle mouth sit above a broad, carved necklace symbolizing several rows of coral beads. A finely checkered headdress, adorned with an upright eagle feather and two loop-shaped side ornaments, completes this solemnly dignified depiction. Intended for the ancestral altars of chiefs, these commemorative wooden heads maintained a connection with the deceased. Their adornments echo the insignia of prestige from the Oba’s court and affirm the authority of the dignitary depicted. Accompanied by a label on the inside of the base bearing the following inscription: “Gedenkkopfeines Konigs Benin 1834. Priv. Sig. Studigavt, Germany…” General Bibliography: Philip J. C. Dark, *An Introduction to Benin Art and Technology*, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1973.