Bronze Head from Ife is one of eighteen copper alloy sculptures that were unearthed in 1938 at Ife in Nigeria the religious and former royal centre of the Yoruba people. It is believed to represent a king. It was probably made in the twelfth century AD, before any European contact had taken place with the local population. The realism and sophisticated craftsmanship of the objects challenged Western conceptions of African at the time. A year after its finding, the Ife Head was taken to the British Museum.
The Benin Pendant Mask is a small ivory mask that was worn around the waist or neck by the Oba at Benin that is often associated with Queen Idia, who was a powerful monarch during the early sixteenth century at the Benin court in what is now Nigeria. Two almost identical masks are extant: one at the British Museum in London and the other at the Metropolitan Museum in New York.
Oblafon mask, Ife, metal, early 14th century.
Twin Commemorative Figures (Ere Ibeji), Early/mid-20th century
Pendant Ivory Mask of Queen Idia, the political administrator, mystical woman, warrior and the first Queen of Bini (Benin) kingdom in Nigeria
