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Thumbnail-size images of copyrighted artworks are displayed under fair use, in accordance with guidelines recommended by the Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for the Visual Arts, published by the College Art Association in February 2015.
Commemorative head of a king (Oba)
Edo, Benin kingdom, Nigeria
late 16th century
Medium/Technique
Copper alloy, iron
Dimensions
Height x width: 9 1/2 x 6 1/2 in. (24.1 x 16.5 cm)
Credit Line
Robert Owen Lehman Collection
Accession NumberL-G 7.11.2012
CollectionsAfrica and Oceania
ClassificationsSculpture
ProvenanceBy 1961, L. Hope, Croydon, England [see note 1]; December 3, 1968, Hope and others sale, Christie’s, London, lot 76, to Alexander Martin for £ 20,000. 2012, promised gift of Robert Owen Lehman to the MFA.
NOTES:
[1] See Barnaby Phillips, Loot: Britain and the Benin Bronzes (London, 2021), p. 182.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Although the early provenance of this object is not recorded, it is likely that British forces looted it from the Royal Palace in Benin City in 1897. At that time troops occupied the city and seized approximately 4,000 works of art; these objects then made their way to European collectors, dealers, and museums. It is also possible that it left Benin City at a later date or by other means that have not been documented.
NOTES:
[1] See Barnaby Phillips, Loot: Britain and the Benin Bronzes (London, 2021), p. 182.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Although the early provenance of this object is not recorded, it is likely that British forces looted it from the Royal Palace in Benin City in 1897. At that time troops occupied the city and seized approximately 4,000 works of art; these objects then made their way to European collectors, dealers, and museums. It is also possible that it left Benin City at a later date or by other means that have not been documented.