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Facial depiction, mask-like,

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This sculpture represents the head of a man, recognizable by the typical braid hairstyle. He does not seem to belong to the nobility, as the corresponding status jewelry is missing. It was possibly made as a miniature mask in memory of an ancestor and then either attached to a wall or worn on the belt (or elsewhere on the body), for which there is an attachment eyelet on the back. The head was considered the most important part of the body and the essence of a living being's powers and personality. This object is probably a memorial head for an ancestor, as they were also placed on the altars of chieftain lineages at least since the early 19th century. Ancestors can be recognized by the unmoving posture and the large, protruding eyes. Thus, the "bourgeois" families of rich merchants, for example, imitated the royal ancestor cult. We would thus be dealing with a non-royal counterpart to the commemorative heads (005410, 005379) and the ivory mask (F50565). Text: Dietmar Neitzke.

Data Provider
Linden-Museum Stuttgart Staatliches Museum für Völkerkunde Show original at data provider

Cataloguing data

Cultural attribution
Edo
Object type
Plastik
Dimensions
Width: 10.4 cm
Height: 15.8 cm
Material/Technique
Copper alloy
moulded
Current location
Linden-Museum Stuttgart
Inventory number
071021

Provenance and sources

  • Assignment to a curated holding:
    Spring; 1057
  • Change of physical control or legal title
    where
    Nigeria
Provenance
Through the intermediary of Paul Staudinger, contact was made with the merchant navy captain Albert Spring. He agreed to donate his collection of over 200 objects from various parts of the world to the museum. Among them was this copper alloy sculpture. Text: Markus Himmelsbach.

Information about the record

Legal status metadata
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED

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