Ile ife bronze head

Nearly a thousand years ago, Ife artisans sculpted bronze and terra-cotta heads, whose realism and beauty would astound the first Europeans to see them in the s.

Skip to main content Please enable JavaScript in your web browser to get the best experience. Museum number Af, Title Object: The Ife Head. Description Brass heavily leaded zinc-brass head cast using the lost wax cire perdue technique. The head is a little under life size and is made in a naturalistic style.

Ile ife bronze head

In January workmen were clearing away topsoil for house foundations they struck metal and found a group of sculptures in the form of human heads cast in metal. The location was in Wunmonije Compound in the city of Ife , in what is now south-western Nigeria. This accidental find led to the eventual discovery of seventeen heads in brass and copper and the broken top half of a king figure. This magnificent brass head was one of those discovered in Wunmonije Compound. The identification and function of the head, and the others discovered at this site, remain uncertain. It clearly portrays a person of status and authority, possibly a king ooni of Ife. The elaborate beaded headdress with feathered fringe was originally painted in red and black. Traces of the pigment remain today. The finds from Wunmonije Compound were published in —9 and created a sensation in the western world. It was initially assumed that these beautiful sculptures could not have been made in Africa by African artists. The life-like modeling was compared with the classical traditions of Ancient Greece and Rome. It was even suggested that these heads were evidence that Ife was the site of the legendary lost civilization of Atlantis as described by the Greek philosopher, Plato.

The identification and function of the head, in common with the others discovered at this site, remain uncertain. The most significant find occurred inwhen more than a dozen heads were found.

This bronze statue, known as an Ife head, was created in the style of the Yoruba people of Nigeria. The Yoruba are well known for their life-like sculptures. This piece measures 21 inches tall and weighs There is some corrosion, imperfections and wear and tear throughout — please inspect photos. The Yoruba are the largest cultural group on the African continent, with nearly 40 million people. Most of the terrain is either forest, woodland savannah, rich farmland or coastal swamps and lagoons. History The origin of the Yoruba people in Nigeria is heavily debated.

If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our website. To log in and use all the features of Khan Academy, please enable JavaScript in your browser. Search for courses, skills, and videos. By The British Museum. Left: Male figure, probably one of the King's servants, 12th—14th century, terracotta, Ife pronounced ee-feh is today regarded as the spiritual heartland of the Yoruba people living in Nigeria, the Republic of Benin, and their many descendants around the world.

Ile ife bronze head

Ife pronounced ee-feh is today regarded as the spiritual heartland of the Yoruba people living in Nigeria, the Republic of Benin, and their many descendants around the world. It is rightly regarded as the birthplace of some of the highest achievements of African art and culture, combining technical accomplishment with strong aesthetic appeal. From the 12th to the 15th centuries, Ife flourished as a powerful, cosmopolitan, and wealthy city-state in West Africa , in what is now modern Nigeria. It was an influential center of trade connected to extensive local and long-distance trade networks which enabled the region to prosper. The artists of Ife developed a refined and highly naturalistic sculptural tradition in stone, terracotta, brass, and copper and created a style unlike anything in Africa at the time. The human figures portray a wide cross-section of Ife society and include depictions of youth and old age, health and disease, suffering, and serenity. According to Yoruba myth, Ife was the centre of the creation of the world and all mankind. Two groves, in particular, have revealed numerous sculptures: the Ore Grove with its stone monoliths and human and animal figures, and the Iwinrin Grove, which is associated with terracotta heads and fragments from life-size figures.

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London: British Museum Press. In fact the sculpture of Ife is today rightly seen as one of the highest achievements of African art and culture. Wealthy ooni obtained the metals for the artworks by trading gold and ivory along the Saharan routes to Europe. Despite his admiration for these sculptures, Frobenius could not accept that they had been made by Africans. A double line of holes runs across the upper lip. Musa O. Technique lost-wax cast incised painted. His hosts unearthed it for him to inspect. A plaitwork element rises behind the roundel, it terminates in a pointed ovoid tip; both elements bear traces of black paint. The almond-shaped eyes are small in proportion to the head and the eyebrow-ridge is sharply defined. In fact the sculpture of Ife is today rightly seen as one of the highest achievements of African art and culture. During its heyday, the city was famous for the skill of its artisans, who sculpted terra-cotta and also worked copper imported from Europe. Download as PDF Printable version. The finds from Wunmonije Compound were published in —9 and created a sensation in the western world. It comprises a conical roundel with central boss surrounded by seven concentric rings, problably representing beads.

Ile-Ife is believed to be the spiritual birthplace of the Yoruba people living in Nigeria, the Republic of Benin and the many Yoruba descendants around the world. It is the origin of some of the highest achievements of African art and culture, combining technical accomplishment with strong aesthetic appeal.

OCLC January 5, The identification and function of the head, in common with the others discovered at this site, remain uncertain. A plaitwork element rises behind the roundel, it terminates in a pointed ovoid tip; both elements bear traces of black paint. The New York Times. Preceded by Hebrew astrolabe. Your donations help make art history free and accessible to everyone! Ife is located in Osun State in modern south-western Nigeria. Sculpture from Ife. Read more about the Yoruba here. Terra-cotta male head These heads of Yoruba rulers were all produced in Ife.