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Head of a king

Belt masks cast from brass were worn by high-ranking members of palace society. While scholars consider these masks to be depictions of the king due to their rich decoration with coral beads, in Benin they are regarded as images of a defeated rebel dignitary.

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Ethnologisches Museum
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Cataloguing data

Object type
Belt mask
Dimensions
Gewicht: 0,55 kg
Objektmaß: ca. 19 x 11,5 x 6 cm
Material/Technique
Brass
Current location
Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Inventory number
III C 8756

Provenance and sources

where
Benin [kingdom]

when
18th century-19th century.
where
Nigeria [Land]
Benin [Königreich]

who
William Downing Webster (1868-05-11 - 1913-01-14) - Collectors

Description
Commissioned from the Igun Eronmwon brass foundry guild in the Kingdom of Benin in the 18th or 19th century; ownership before 1897 currently unknown; probably looted in connection with the British conquest of Benin, 1897; in unknown possession between Feb. 1897 and 1899; acquired by the Museum of Ethnology from William D. Webster, 1899.

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