Uhunmwun Elao Head, Edo People, Nigeria

These heads, called "uhunmwun elao" represent ancestral kings (Oba) and were placed on altars for ancestor worship. The wooden heads, although related to the commemorative bronze and brass heads commissioned for royal altars, were made for the lower-ranking ancestral altars of the Edo chiefs and reflect an ideal image of the main authority. We find on this one all the royal attributes (coral necklace, feather). The forehead has rectangular incisions where ivory or bronze plates were to be inserted. The eyes are still filled with an undetermined substance. The sculpture is compact and very balanced. The carved feather gives height and lightens the whole.
Dense wood, erosion, slight losses.
H: 32 cm
Edo people, Nigeria
Early 20th century
Provenance: Norbert Boutet collection