A brass head in the style of Benin, representing an Oba with wide necklace, delicately carved features composed of a slightly opened mouth, almond shape eyes wide open, a thin nose, the forehead is marked by six keloid marks, the hair is neatly coiffed in rows, a hole at the top of the head; some oxidation, two small holes on the left side of the face. This head, which cannot be classified in any of the categories listed by Digital Benin, neither among the so-called Ivbiotọ (decapitated heads of former Benin vassals) nor among the Uhunmwu-Elao (The commemorative head of an Ọba), is probably a high-ranking nobleman, special power is expressed by a crocodile on the head. We already had a similar head with a leopard on top, which due to its stylistic similarity could have been made by the same artist or workshop. Although the ears - as an important "graph" - are different. The surface is not the same. In one case there is a heavily encrusted oxidation patina and in the other case a patina that expresses a well-maintained condition and suggests that this head had its place on an altar. This bronze also shows remains of a dark color, which is unusual when compared to other bronzes in museums. However, it should be borne in mind that most museum bronzes were "restored" in the 1960s and 1970s in a way that was more focused on their magnificent appearance than on a continous history of their surface. At that time, an attempt was made to get close to the “original condition” at the time the bronzes were created. Anything that didn't fit into this mental image of the original state was removed. An argument often made by archaeologists, that the context of the find would be lost in the case of accidental finds or illegal excavations, was strangely completely ignored in many museum restorations of earlier decades. The fact that even objects whose origin is unknown contain important information about their history through their surface properties has only recently been recognized by science. Nowadays, “science” is hopefully more careful when it comes to dealing with “patina”. wj In the eyes of the Benin populace, the Obas were divine beings, and these heads were created after their demise in order to be displayed on altars dedicated to their memory. Until the late 19th century, the Benin centres were a ruling power in Nigeria, dominating trade routes and amassing enormous wealth as the military and economic leaders of their ancient empire. This changed with the appearance of British imperial forces, which coveted the wealth of the royal palaces and found a series of excuses to mount a punitive expedition against the Oba’s forces in 1897. It was only at this point, the moment of its’ destruction, that the true achievements of the Benin polities became apparent to western scholars. Benin royal palaces comprised a sprawling series of compounds containing accommodation, workshops and public buildings. As it grew, the buildings pertaining to previous Obas were either partially refurbished or left in favour of newer constructions; this led to a long history of royal rule written in sculptural works that rank among the finest that African cultures have ever produced; until European advances in the 19th century, they were the finest bronzes that had ever been made. Brass or bronze Oba heads were used to honour the memory of a deceased king. Typically, the son of the dead king – the new Oba – would pay tribute to his father by erecting an altar in his memory. These altars, low platforms of mud that were arrayed around the perimeter of the royal courtyards, were decorated with various artefacts alluding to the Oba’s achievements in life. Benin brass heads were made throughout the empire’s duration. Yet while this is a comparatively late example it is easy to see why the Benin artists were deemed to be among the world’s greatest in this medium. This is a striking piece of Benin art. Ezra, K. 1992. Royal Art of Benin: the Perls Collection. Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, US. Bacquart, J. 1998. The Tribal Arts of Africa. Thames and Hudson, UK. Phillips, T. (ed). 1999. Africa: The Art of a Continent. Prestel.