Bust of an Important Ife Person:

This circa 120-year-old bust is rendered in the sensitive Ife style. While the smooth surface and lack of a patina on the face highlight the relative youth of the object, the remarkably dignified expression and realistic facial characteristics definitely beg comparison to older works. Pearl necklaces and traditional signs of grandeur like the ram's horn in the figure's left hand and the jewellery on his chest were seen as official marks of dignity and indicate that the person depicted was a prominent figure in Ife. The crown and (unfortunately slightly damaged) ornamentation on the forehead even indicate that this might be an Oni (king of Ife).

A very similar type of object appeared as early as the 14 th century and, since then, was continually revisited and only marginally altered.



Cp.:
Frank WILLETT: Ife. Metropole afrikanischer Kunst, Bergisch Gladbach 1967, S. 37.