Eine bronzene Maske - Ife - Benin - Nigeria

A funeral mask in the style of Ife. The striking feature of this "mask" is its naturalism. It resembles a real portrait of a human being and yet the expression is idealized. It seems that one did not try to portray a particular human being with all sorts of things, but tried to portray the human being as he appeared or should live on in his memory (Frank Willet). Thinwalled and encrusted multi-layered patina, see magnifications at the end of the photo-sequence, incl. stand. Please note that in absence of laboratory tests, the attribution is provided for reference only, based on our knowledge and experience in the field. Whereby we can only determine an exact age stylistically.

We suspect that it is a funeral mask that was used in ceremonies by high-ranking aristocratic figures. It would be the task of Nigerian anthropologists to clarify these questions through on-site research.

The mask probably looked different than pictured here. Hair, a beard, pearls and headdress probably hung from the holes on the forehead and around the mouth. However, the earlier appearance and the exact identification can not be reconstructed. Normally it is assumed that such masks represent a king of Ife (an oni). And indeed, Ife expert Frank Willett has assumed that a very similar object is a portrait of Obalufons II, the third Oni of Ife, to whom the inauguration of the tradition of cast bronze is attributed.

Stefan Eisenhofer: Enigmatic masterpieces. The art of Ife, in: Ife, Akan and Benin. 2000 years of West African art, Pforzheim 2000, p. 20/21. Frank Willet: Ife. Metropolis of African Art, Gustav Lübbe Verlag, p.27 "Ife in the History of West African Sculpture" 1967, Wolfgang Jaenicke Gallery, Berlin, Invitation 1.8.2019, with a similar copy of this mask.

CAB45490

Height: 28 cm without stand
Height: 42 cm incl. stand