Vintage Oba head in patinated Ife bronze from Benin

Head of Oba in patinated bronze, beginning of the 20th century. This head was in the royal palace in Benin City. Beautiful patina of several tones. Height 40 cm Width 26 cm Depth 24 cm The bronze king's heads, placed in the sanctuaries of the royal ancestors, embodied above all the sacred character of the kingdom. During the annual festivities that aimed to reinforce his mystical power, the Oba himself made offerings in the shrines, a ritual essential for the survival of the kingdom. This act illustrates the extent to which the Oba was spiritually responsible for the well-being of his subjects, and emphasizes the unchanging central function of the King. The stylistic variations in these bronze heads are so clearly and fundamentally characteristic of Beninese art that they have helped scientists establish a chronology of Beninese rulers. Benin art is unquestionably a royal art.