Brass head with a beaded crown and plume

Yoruba, probably 12th-14th century AD
From Ife, Nigeria

One of the most famous items in the Ethnographic collections

This is the head of the Oni, the king of Ife, wearing a crown partly painted in red to represent carnelian beads. On his coronation, the Oni would have carried an animal horn in one hand filled with powerful medicines, and in the other hand a wooden staff covered with a bead-embroidered cloth. After the coronation this staff would be replaced with an irukere, beaded flywhisk, a symbol of his authority. A heavy beaded collar and badges would also be worn on his chest and forearms. His limbs would also be covered in beaded bracelets and anklets. The head was probably used in funerary ceremonies and may have been attached to a wooden figure for ceremonial use.

The town of Ife lies on the River Niger in south-western Nigeria occupied by the Yoruba peoples. According to their traditions, Ife is the place where their gods descended from heaven on an iron chain to populate the world.

The art of Ife is unique in Africa in representing human beings with a realism that makes them almost portrait-like in appearance. It has often been compared with other European naturalistic traditions such as those of Ancient Greece and Rome, and an influence was assumed which obscured our understanding of the art of Ife. It was even suggested that such heads were evidence that Ife was the site of the lost civilization of Atlantis. In fact, there was no historical connection with any European culture, and the sculpture of Ife is today rightly seen as one of the highest achievements of African art and culture.

E. Eyo and F. Willett, Treasures of ancient Nigeria (London, Royal Academy of Arts, 1980)