Commemorative Head

Subject Matter:

This copper-alloy brass cast sculpture is a twentieth-century homage to the tradition of Uhunmwun elao, or a commemorative head of the king. Although representing oba, or rulers of the past kingdom of Benin (today's Edo state in Nigeria), such heads are not images of specific kings. Rather, these heads refer to previous Benin rulers in a generic way by depicting the attire associated with the oba. These heads were (and still are) displayed on altars within the royal palace to pay homage to the ancestors of the oba, a physical connection between the current ruler and previous obas.

This sculpture was included in UMMA's  exhibition, Wish You Were Here (August 2021–August 2022), through which UMMA curators and researchers investigated a selection of cultural works in the collection with an eye to understanding their provenance and rightful ownership. The team conducted research to understand whether this head was taken from the Benin Kingdom during the so-called “punitive expedition” of 1897, when the British sacked the capital of the Benin empire. At this time, sculptures and plaques were torn from the palace walls and taken to Europe, where the looted treasures were sold to museums and private collectors. The royal court of Benin and other Nigerian officials have been demanding their return for decades. Based on the casting flaws apparent in this particular head alongside professional metal analysis from 2001, which determined that the elemental composition would have only been possible in works produced after 1897, we now understand that this work is a later reproduction of those sculptures taken from the Benin royal palace.

UMMA researchers continue to address the following questions:

The Benin works from our collection are likely not part of the 1897 looting. But does that mean that they were still acquired legally afterwards?

Does that mean these works are inauthentic? Is authenticity really determined by the deeply violent act that was the Benin Punitive Expedition?

Why are castings made after 1897 largely cut off from the chronology of Benin art?

Physical Description:

Cast brass head of a human. A beaded collar covers the neck and chin, while the top of the head is decorated with a beaded cap, small clusters of what may be flowers, and 'wings' that rise from either side of the head and almost meet by the mouth. There is an opening at the top of the head as well. 

Usage Rights:

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