Who made the bronze head of Ife?
Who made the bronze head of Ife?
Kingdom of Benin Royal Artisan
Ife Heads in History
| Artist | Kingdom of Benin Royal Artisan |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sculpture |
| Technique | Lost Wax Process |
| Dimensions (cm) | Height 120cm |
| Color | Bronze |
Where were the Ife heads found?
Wunmonije Compound
This free-standing brass head cast in the lost wax technique was discovered in 1938 at Wunmonije Compound in Ife, Nigeria. It was found by accident during house building works together with sixteen other brass and copper heads and the upper half of a brass figure.
What are the hole in neck of Ife heads probably for?
Around the mouth there are a series of small holes. Again, we can’t be quite certain what these are for, but they were possibly used to attach a beaded veil that would hide the mouth and the lower part of the face.
Who stole the Benin bronze?
British
Germany has agreed to return to Nigeria priceless artefacts that were stolen during the colonisation of Africa. British troops looted thousands of artworks known as the Benin Bronzes from the Kingdom of Benin, in present-day Nigeria, in 1897.
Who discovered Ife art?
Leo Frobenius
#4: Discovering Ife art Ife art was brought to international attention in 1910 when Leo Frobenius, a German ethnographer, discovered bronze and terracotta heads at Ife. The discovery changed people’s perception of African Art, but Frobenius had a misconception about its origin.
When was Ife founded?
around 500 B.C.
Ile Ife, also known as Ife, is an ancient Yoruba city in the southwestern part of Nigeria. Ile Ife is said to be dated back around 500 B.C. when it was founded and is the oldest Yoruba city.
What is Ife terracotta?
Ife terracotta works constitute a large and diverse corpus that includes sculptures and vessels depicting human, animal, and otherworldly subjects. Among the many objects found are terracotta lids depicting animals that appear to have been divined to provide a lasting memory of a successful ritual.
What are Dogon sculptures made of?
Many sculpture recreates the silhouettes of the Tellem culture, featuring raised arms and a thick patina, or surface layer, made of blood and millet beer.
How did Germany get the Benin Bronzes?
The bronzes, which were looted by British soldiers and sailors on a punitive expedition to Benin City in 1897, were subsequently sold to museums in Europe and North America. Germany says it will help fund a pavilion to hold some restituted artefacts until the museum is completed in 2025.
Why were the Benin Bronzes looted?
When the British Empire invaded the kingdom in 1897, thousands of the objects were looted, partially to pay for the costs of the military expedition. They were later auctioned off in London and elsewhere and soon became central pieces in the collection of many museums in the Global North.
Who was the first Ooni of Ife?
Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II
The first Oòni of Ife is a descendant of Oduduwa, which was the 401st Orisha. The present ruler since 2015 is Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II, Ooni of Ife who is also a Nigerian accountant….Traditional setting.
| House of Oodua | |
|---|---|
| Motto | Ife, Ile Awon Orisha (Yoruba for “Ife, Land of the Gods”) |
What is the bronze head from Ife?
This Bronze Head from Ife is one of eighteen sculptures unearthed in 1938 at Ife in Nigeria, the religious and former royal center of the Yoruba people. The Yoruba people regard Ife as the place where their deities created humans. It was made in the thirteenth century, well before any European contact with the local population.
How did the IFE head get to the British Museum?
The British Museum’s Ife Head was acquired by the editor of the Daily Times of Nigeria, and the bronze sculpture eventually made its way to the National Art Collections Fund, which donated it to the museum in 1939.
What is the history of Ife?
The oldest signs of human settlement at Ife’s current site date back to the 9th century, and its material culture includes terracotta and bronze figures. For centuries, various peoples from this region traded overland with traders from North Africa.
What are the characteristics of Ife sculpture?
The face is covered with incised striation, and the headdress consists of a crown composed of layers of tube-shaped beads and tassels. A crest tops the king’s crown with a rosette and a plume. The lifelike rendering of sculptures from medieval Ife is exceptional in sub-Saharan African art.
