MUSEUM QUALITY IFE/BENIN BRONZE BUST 16"TALL

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MUSEUM QUALITY IFE/BENIN BRONZE BUST 16"TALL

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Sold Date: 02/13/2007
Channel: Online Auction
Source: eBay
Category: Ethnic, Folk & Native American Art

BENIN
BRONZE
NIGERIA
16" TALL The kingdom of Benin came to an abrupt end when the British invaded them in 1897. We also know that thin castings were made before the lucrative slave trade began. This casting is fairly heavy. The rise of the very old kingdom of Ife can be traced back to the 11th century. Their bronze casting skills were well known and it was their craftsmen that, by mutual arrangement, taught the younger Kingdom of Benin the art of casting bronze by what is known as the "Lost Wax Method".The Benin kingdom was founded by the son of an Ife king in the early 14th century AD. The art of bronze casting was introduced around the year 1280. The kingdom reached its maximum size and artistic splendor in the 15th and 16th century. Following the bloody British punitive expedition to Nigeria in 1897, about three thousand brass, ivory and wooden objects were consigned to the Western world.The numerous brass heads and figures cast by Benin metalworkers were created for the royal palace, w a new oba would dedicate an altar to his predecessor. The majority of everyday Benin objects were made for and associated with court ceremonies. During the British punitive expedition, more than 1,000 brass plaques were appropriated from the oba's palace. Dating from the 16th and 17th centuries, these plaques were secreted in a storage room. It is thought that they were nailed to palace walls and pillars as a form of decoration or as references to protocol. They show the oba in full regalia along with his nobility, warriors and Portuguese traders. The most elaborate ones display a procession of up to nine people, while others depict only fish or birds. Despite the disappearance of the Benin kingdom, the Yoruba people living on its territory continued to produce artwork inspired by the great royal art of Benin.
These are much sought after collectors pieces. This is the head of the Oni , the king of Ife, wearing a crown . On his coronation, the Oni would have carried an animal horn in one hand filled with powerful medicines, and in the other hand a wooden staff covered with a bead-embroidered cloth. After the coronation this staff would be replaced with an irukere , beaded flywhisk, a symbol of his authority. A heavy beaded collar and badges would also be worn on his chest and forearms. His limbs would also be covered in beaded bracelets and anklets. The head was probably used in funerary ceremonies and may have been attached to a wooden figure for ceremonial use.

The town of Ife lies on the River Niger in south-western Nigeria occupied by the Yoruba peoples. According to their traditions, Ife is the place w their gods descended from heaven on an iron chain to populate the world.

The art of Ife is unique in Africa in representing human beings with a realism that makes them almost portrait-like in appearance. It has often been compared with other European naturalistic traditions such as those of Ancient Greece and Rome, and an influence was assumed which obscured our understanding of the art of Ife. It was even suggested that such heads were evidence that Ife was the site of the lost civilization of Atlantis. In fact, t was no historical connection with any European culture, and the sculpture of Ife is today rightly seen as one of the highest achievements
of African art and culture BROWN BRONZE PATINA. 3/4 LIFESIZE
CONDITION - EXCELLENT
35 + YEARS OLD
SHIPPING $ 30.00 USA
$ 45.00 IN TERNATIONAL
VALUE $ 400.00 +
COMPARE WITH OTHER BENIN AND IFE BRONZES AND THEN MAKE YOUR INVESTMENT
*** Please note that all old used Arts will have minor imperfe...