Although it’s not known who this sculpture is a depiction of, this famous Bronze Head from Ife, also known as the Ife Head, 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. Believed to represent a Yoruba Ruler, It was probably made in the thirteenth-fourteenth century AD, before any European contact had taken place with the local population. The realism of the sculptures is amazing and some of the only photorealistic depictions created in African art..The Ife Head was likely made under the patronage of King Obalufon II, whose bronze likeness shares stylistic features with this work. These bronze heads are evidence of additional trade since Ife-made glass beads have been found widely in West Africa. The detailed work shows what are believed to be tribal markings on the face. I conducted some research into this, and found that these same tribal markings are still observed in some parts of Africa, although this practice is becoming much more rare, so I have not included him in my depiction here. Prints of this work are available! Click the link in my bio to get to the Etsy store.
Left Portrait base: Public Domain - Brass Ife Head, British Museum Collection. Photograph by Sailko. Right Portrait base: iStock photo. Created using Photoshop.
