Nigerian, Benin Kingdom, Ẹdo peoples

Brass heads are among many objects a new ?ba commissions when dedicating a shrine to their predecessor. This head of an ?ba wears layered necklaces of royal coral beads. Tubular beads adorn both the netted cap and slender braids alongside his temples. While representing an individual, his facial features and calm expression are idealized. The thickly cast head once supported a tusk. Immune to corrosion, brass symbolizes royal permanence. A personal religious object, this head sat on an ancestral altar in the ?ba’s palace. Like many works taken from Benin altars, this contrasts with its present-day public display in an American museum.