Ile ife bronze head

The Bronze Head from Ifeor Ife Head[2] is one of eighteen copper alloy sculptures that were unearthed in at Ife in Nigeriathe religious and former royal centre of the Yoruba people, ile ife bronze head. It is believed to represent a king.

Nearly a thousand years ago, Ife artisans sculpted bronze and terra-cotta heads, whose realism and beauty would astound the first Europeans to see them in the s. The Yoruba people of Nigeria believe Ife to be a sacred city founded by the gods and the birthplace of humanity. Lying miles northeast of the Nigerian city Lagos , Ife was where archaeologists uncovered a series of sculptures that revealed a rich yet overlooked history of Yoruba culture to the world. While some were made of metal and others of terra-cotta, the heads of Ife share a highly symmetrical style. Some faces are adorned with lines and designs, and elaborate hair styles top their heads. All convey a dignified and imposing majesty.

Ile ife bronze head

This free-standing brass head cast in the lost wax technique was discovered in at Wunmonije Compound in Ife, Nigeria. It was found by accident during house building works together with sixteen other brass and copper heads and the upper half of a brass figure. The identification and function of the head, in common with the others discovered at this site, remain uncertain. Its elaborate beaded headdress, possibly representing a crown, suggest that it was associated with an Ooni, a ruler of Ife. It was made between - CE. According to the oral traditions of the Yoruba people, Ife is the place where life and civilisation began. Ife is regarded as the legendary homeland of the Yoruba-speaking peoples and its sacred ruler, the Ooni, is still revered as the descendant of the original creator gods. Ife is located in Osun State in modern south-western Nigeria. Ife began to develop as a city-state in the late first millennium, around AD and became a leading political, economic and spiritual centre in the lower Niger region. Between and it flourished as a commercial centre with access to the lucrative trade networks along the Niger River. The art of Ife has produced a large corpus of sculptural works in terracotta, stone, brass and copper which were found at different sites in the city.

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. It was probably made in the fourteenth-fifteenth century C.

In January workmen were clearing away topsoil for house foundations they struck metal and found a group of sculptures in the form of human heads cast in metal. The location was in Wunmonije Compound in the city of Ife , in what is now south-western Nigeria. This accidental find led to the eventual discovery of seventeen heads in brass and copper and the broken top half of a king figure. This magnificent brass head was one of those discovered in Wunmonije Compound. The identification and function of the head, and the others discovered at this site, remain uncertain.

Ile-Ife is believed to be the spiritual birthplace of the Yoruba people living in Nigeria, the Republic of Benin and the many Yoruba descendants around the world. It is the origin of some of the highest achievements of African art and culture, combining technical accomplishment with strong aesthetic appeal. One of its most popular art are its life-sized metal head sculptures. Eighteen of them were unearthed at the Wunmonije Compound in Ife in , by the British. They are, however, believed to have been made between the 12th and the 15th century. During this time, Ife flourished as the powerful, cosmopolitan and influential centre of trade in West Africa, as it was connected to extensive local and long-distance trade networks around the region. The astonishing realism and sophisticated craftsmanship of the Ife heads challenged Western conceptions of African art. Read also: The Nigerian Talking Drum. It was made under the rule of King Obalufon II whose famous naturalistic life-sized copper face mask shares stylistic features with this work. Today among the Yoruba people, Obalufon is known as the patron deity of brass casters.

Ile ife bronze head

Ife pronounced ee-feh is today regarded as the spiritual heartland of the Yoruba people living in Nigeria, the Republic of Benin, and their many descendants around the world. It is rightly regarded as the birthplace of some of the highest achievements of African art and culture, combining technical accomplishment with strong aesthetic appeal. From the 12th to the 15th centuries, Ife flourished as a powerful, cosmopolitan, and wealthy city-state in West Africa , in what is now modern Nigeria. It was an influential center of trade connected to extensive local and long-distance trade networks which enabled the region to prosper. The artists of Ife developed a refined and highly naturalistic sculptural tradition in stone, terracotta, brass, and copper and created a style unlike anything in Africa at the time. The human figures portray a wide cross-section of Ife society and include depictions of youth and old age, health and disease, suffering, and serenity. According to Yoruba myth, Ife was the centre of the creation of the world and all mankind. Two groves, in particular, have revealed numerous sculptures: the Ore Grove with its stone monoliths and human and animal figures, and the Iwinrin Grove, which is associated with terracotta heads and fragments from life-size figures. The identification and function of this head, in common with the others discovered at this site , remain uncertain.

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The Journal of African History. Archived from the original on 20 April Retrieved 21 June The New York Times. Retrieved on Department Africa, Oceania and the Americas. British Museum. Wikimedia Commons. Title Object: The Ife Head. Bronze Head from Ife. Emerging around 1, years ago, Yoruba culture flowered in the region, and its people founded many kingdoms and cities. By archaeologists had accepted that the heads were the work of Yoruba artisans and not people from Atlantis. Even today, its ruler is thought of as the descendant of the original creator gods.

In January workmen were clearing away topsoil for house foundations they struck metal and found a group of sculptures in the form of human heads cast in metal. The location was in Wunmonije Compound in the city of Ife , in what is now south-western Nigeria.

This magnificent brass head was one of those discovered in Wunmonije Compound. Environment This exploding mine holds a treasure that may change the world. Hambolu, M. It became a leading political, economic and spiritual center in the lower Niger region. He asked to see it and was escorted to a sacred palm grove, where the object lay ritually buried. The identification and function of the head, in common with the others discovered at this site, remain uncertain. Modern practice in museums and archaeology is increasingly to avoid terms such as bronze or brass for historical objects in favour of the all-embracing " copper alloy ". Learn more Science Mind, Body, Wonder You actually can consume too much caffeine. One of the ways to achieve the hollowed result is creating the wax sculptures over a formed clay core. Emerging around 1, years ago, Yoruba culture flowered in the region, and its people founded many kingdoms and cities. Skip to main content Please enable JavaScript in your web browser to get the best experience. In-direct lost wax casting is the most basic form of metal casting seen in African cultures. Nearly a thousand years ago, Ife artisans sculpted bronze and terra-cotta heads, whose realism and beauty would astound the first Europeans to see them in the s.