Head with a Beaded Crown and Plume
Yoruba People, 12th-15th century
One of the supreme achievements of West African Art, this head of an unidentified ruler of Ife, religious centre of the Yoruba in Southern Nigeria, wears a crown painted red to represent carnelian beads.
It has small holes surrounding the mouth, probably intended for inserting hair to depict a beard and a moustache. The bronze was cast by the cire perdue (lost wax) method and it was probably made for use at funerary ceremonies, when it may have been attached to a wooden figure.
More information
Title of artwork, date
Head with a Beaded Crown and Plume, 12th-15th century
Date supported
1939
Medium and material
Leaded brass, green patina with traces of red paint
Dimensions
36 cm
Grant
100
Total cost
100
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