Lifesize African Benin Edo Brass Head Of A Queen - Jan 18, 2024 | Artemis Gallery In Co
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Lifesize African Benin Edo Brass Head of a Queen

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Lifesize African Benin Edo Brass Head of a Queen
Lifesize African Benin Edo Brass Head of a Queen
Item Details
Description
West Africa, southern Nigeria, Benin Kingdom, Edo peoples, ca. 20th century CE. A captivating, life-size brass portrait of a Benin queen, portrayed veristically with smooth skin and piercing eyes. Dozens of layered rings line her neck as her head is crowned by an elaborate tiara comprised of braided ropes and beads indicating her heightened social status. Benin bronzes, like this example, were created from at least the 16th century onwards in the West African Kingdom of Benin, by specialist guilds working for the royal court of the Oba in Benin City. Many pieces were commissioned specifically for the ancestral altars of past Obas and Queen Mothers. They were also used in other rituals to honor the ancestors and to validate the accession of a new Oba. Size: 9" L x 7" W x 13" H (22.9 cm x 17.8 cm x 33 cm); 16.4" H (41.7 cm) on included custom stand.

Though the metal composition of this piece is consistent with that of brass, examples like this have traditionally been referred to as bronzes. Joseph Nevadomsky and Natalie Lawson explain in "The Dating Game: The Scientific Analysis of Benin Copper-Alloy Art-From TL to 21Pb" that "That problem is complex. Keep the following in mind. First is that Benin cast artifacts are typically called "Benin bronzes" but they are now referred to as brass; the composition of a sample of objects at the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian, Washington, D.C., ranged 'from 64 to 94% copper, 0 to 7% tin, 1 to 17% lead, and 0 to 16% zinc' as well as 'small quantities of arsenic, silver, antimony, and nickel' with iron at 0.4 to 5% Schrenk [1] Copper alloy is the correct designation, but Benin 'bronze' became equated with royal art from Europe early on and stuck for a century at least while brass is now commonly used by art historians." (Joseph Nevadomsky, Natalie Lawson. The Dating Game: The Scientific Analysis of Benin Copper-Alloy Art-From TL to 21Pb. Open Access J Arch & Anthropol. 1(5): 2019. OAJAA.MS.ID.000525.)

Provenance: private Santa Clara, California, USA collection, acquired before 2010; ex-Red Tribal Gallery, San Francisco, California, USA

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#182114
Condition
Appears to have been constructed from several separately cast pieces and welded together, so may have some repair and restoration. Some minor chips, nicks, and abrasions in areas. Nice preservation of detail.
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Lifesize African Benin Edo Brass Head of a Queen

Estimate $700 - $1,050
See Sold Price
Starting Price $350
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Artemis Gallery

Artemis Gallery

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Louisville, CO, United States7,913 Followers
Auction Curated By
Bob Dodge
Owner/Executive Director, Antiquities & Pre-Columbian Art
Sydelle Dienstfrey
PhD. Art History, Director, Fine & Visual Arts
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