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Commemorative Head of Oba (18th century) — National Museum, Lagos

Cast brass commemorative head of an Oba (king) of the Kingdom of Benin, 18th century CE. One of the later-period Oba heads characterised by increased weight and elaborateness relative to 16th-century examples. Held at the National Museum Lagos, Nigeria — either retained in Nigeria through documented institutional acquisition or returned from a foreign holding. No repatriation issue; serves as comparator to the repatriation-pending foreign-held examples.

Scholarly Significance

18th-century Oba commemorative head held in Nigeria (National Museum Lagos) — serves as the in-situ comparator node showing objects that remained in Nigeria or were returned, contrasting with repatriation-pending nodes at foreign institutions.

Notes

  • ·Art historians (Philip Ravenhill, Paula Ben-Amos, Kathy Curnow) have used stylistic progression in Oba heads to develop a relative chronology for Benin brass casting across the 16th–18th centuries.
  • ·18th-century heads are sometimes called 'late period' or 'middle period' heads in Benin art chronology; 'later period' heads of the 19th century show further elaboration.
  • ·The National Museum Lagos holds objects from across Nigeria, including Benin, Yoruba, Igbo, and other traditions. It is distinct from the National Museum Benin City, which is specifically focused on Benin Kingdom objects.