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kingdom of ife

Head, possibly a King (Ife)

Ancient Yoruba terracotta sculpture from the Kingdom of Ife (Ile-Ife, southwest Nigeria), dated 12th to 15th century CE. Held by the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth. Represents a naturalistic royal portrait tradition unique in Africa and significant for its challenge to colonial assumptions about African artistic achievement.

Scholarly Significance

Broaden the graph into a second distinct African art tradition through an ancient Yoruba terracotta sculpture with museum backing.

Notes

  • ·Kimbell dates this to 12th–15th century CE; the broad range reflects the state of current scholarship and is marked uncertain.
  • ·Terracotta with traces of pigment and mica; dimensions approximately 26.7 x 14.5 x 18.7 cm.
  • ·Accession number AP 1994.04 at the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas.
  • ·The elaborate square crown of four rectangular aprons overlying a conical form with intersecting bead network is unparalleled among surviving Ife examples.
  • ·Provenance: private collection, Switzerland; L & R Entwistle & Co., Ltd., New York and London; purchased by Kimbell Art Foundation 1994.
  • ·This cluster opens a second distinct African tradition beyond the existing Benin Kingdom path, representing the Yoruba city-state tradition in southwest Nigeria rather than the Edo-speaking Benin Kingdom.