Art of BENIN, 19th century - Lot 398

Art of BENIN, 19th century Oba head with ostrich feather hardwood with dark wood inlays, weathering on lower part, old brown patina, wear marks Height Height : 47 cm Provenance: Bears a label on the inside of the base "Gedenkkopfeines Konigs Benin 1834. Priv Sig Studigavt, Deutschland...." Note: In the kingdom of Benin, located in the south of today's Nigeria, the Oba embodies political and sacred power. Court arts, particularly developed, serve to assert his authority and perpetuate dynastic memory. Oba heads, known mainly in bronze, are more rarely found in wood. They are associated with royal altars dedicated to the ancestors, where they could receive elephant tusks or other symbolic elements, as indicated here by the summit cavity. This representation is part of the staging of royal power. It evokes the continued presence of the Oba and his role as intermediary between the world of the living and that of the ancestors, in a context of cult and dynastic legitimization.