Superb Bronze head of Oba of Benin. Old, rare, Beautiful. Fine Patina. Nigeria.

Description: Free tracked International shipping on this item !!! Item. Outstanding, Bronze head of Oba of Benin. Old, rare example originating from the time of the recorded inception of the ancient Benin empire of Nigeria. Old and truly special example. This Oba of Benin head is a very important and iconically sought after example of one of the Benin bronzes. TheBenin Bronzesare a group of more than a thousand metal plaques and sculptures that decorated the royal palace of theKingdom of Beninin what is nowthe Midwest area of Nigeria. Collectively, the Benin bronze objects form the best-known examples ofBenin art and were created from the thirteenth century onwards by artists of theEdo people of Nigeria. Origin. Edo People of Nigeria. Use. The Oba or King is the traditional and Monarchical head of the Benin Kingdom from ancient time till today. The title of "Oba" (King) of Benin is always bestowed on the first born son of a King when he ascends the throne to replace his father, the previous king, at the time of his death. One of the first and most important duty of the new King is to venerate the previous king by commissioning the creations of a portrait a bronze head portrait of his father that would then be placed on an altar at the Royal palace. The altar is an important site of palace ritual and the old King, through his bronze portrait, retains a tutelary and counselling function providing the current King with the wisdom and knowledge to retain the prosperity and greatness of the Benin Kingdom. Description. A fine example of an Oba of Benin bronze head. Great example that is the work of an accomplished Benin bronze caster. Excellent depiction of the Oba in his elaborate beaded headdress with beaded coral string veil attachment to the side and rear of the face of the Oba. The royal regalia is completed with the beaded coral collar that covers the neck and chin. Genuine patination oxidised with age. I estimate this example to be decades old from provenance I have available about the item. These Oba of Benin bronze head, in my opinion, are perhaps one of the most sought-after of the Benin bronzes ever made. They are collected passionately and iconically. Especially so because better examples, such as this, are becoming more rare as the rate of apprenticeship uptake for bronze-casting reduces drastically generations to generations due to the fact that less youths wish to embrace the art today, from their forebears, as a profession. The head show excellent form, symmetry and balance throughout. Some minor degradation and thinning of the bronze metal, throughout, as to be expected from this item which is significantly old. Nonetheless the head is in excellent collector condition. A beautiful, considerable and significant tribal treasure offered with a start price that represents superb value for one of the most iconic work of primitive-tribal art to ever come out of Africa Please note this is a tribal treasures obtained from it's original home of creation and use with genuine provenance and history. . As with all my bronze offerings, this is a personal field-collected find from Edo State of Nigeria which is the modern location of the Ancient Benin Empire that produced the many examples of beautiful Benin bronze collected worldwide today. Measurement. 29cm high x 19cm wide x 23cm deep. Weight. 6kg approx. Postage information. Please note we are an international seller who mainly obtain tribal artifacts directly in their area of creation and use as we rate authenticity higher than anything else per tribal art. We sometime therefore send items, especially big items, directly from where they were field-collected as this saves duplication of cost and effort for us. Please allow at least two weeks for delivery after payment is made. Thank y

Price: 650 GBP

Location: Dagenham

End Time: 2024-10-18T05:04:24.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 GBP