Ornamental scars on the forehead, a coral necklace, a braided hairstyle featuring concentric rings – commonly known as the Ibo hairstyle – and the hole on the top of the head, possibly intended for an ivory inlay, are, just like the heart-shaped, slightly open mouth, recurring features of this type of head from Benin dating from the 16th century onwards. The typical iron plates used to emphasise the decorative scars are slightly corroded, whilst the iron plates of the pupils are barely visible as such. This may be due to the fact that the entire surface was treated with a virtually black solution.

It is difficult to substantiate the claim, mentioned in the gallery’s early texts, that iron is attributed with special powers. It is more likely that it is the mundane variation in colouration that gives the face a distinctive character. Small, inconspicuous holes have formed on the forehead and neck due to corrosion. On the left cheek, where the head probably rested for a time,

Cp.:
Ekpo EYO, Frank WILLETT: Kunstschätze aus Alt-Nigeria, Mainz 1983, S. 136.
Paula Girshick BEN-AMOS: The art of Benin, London 1995, S. 26.
Philip J. C. DARK: An introduction to Benin art and technology, Oxford 1973, S. 94.
Barbara PLANKENSTEINER (Hg.): Benin. Könige und Rituale. Höfische Kunst aus Nigeria, Wien 2007, S. 373.

Sotheby's New York. 1986. Kopf Benin-Kultur. Keine Altersangabe. Keine Angabe zur Provenienz. € 683.904,-

Auktionshaus Koller. 2005. Kopf Benin-Kultur. Benin 17.-18. Jh. € 423.060,-