Memorial Head of Ancestor
date: label: Accession Date
content: 28 Aug 1992
label: Collection Date
content: 1959
name: label: Donor Name
content: Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden
notes: label: Notes
content: Provenience undocumented (Benin City, Nigeria, 18th c?; Aaron Furman Gallery of NY to 6/5/59; Joseph Hirshhorn purchase 6/5/59 to 5/17/66). Identification provided by Hirshhorn Museum (HMSG). Gift from Joseph Hirshhorn Foundation. Item made for ancestor shrine of Benin bronze casters. Vetted by William Fagg & Philip Dark for HMSG. Dark questioned accuracy of an 18th c date. Was exhibited in Hirshhorn Museum's "Benin Art," Dec. 1978 - (?) 1980 & National Museum of African Art's "From the Earth: African Ceramic Art," May 17 - Oct. 1, 1983. Description: Reddish-brown terra-cotta head is screwed to a black, rectangular wooden base. Has large, almond-shaped eyes with incised pupils, flat, wide nose, carved lips. Across forehead are 6 depressions (scarification marks), 3 on either side of an Ibo mark. Hairstyle is short, cut closely to head with incised hair pattern in a coiled manner. Top of head has a deep hole (for insertion of a tusk?). Condition: some minor losses.
label: Notes
content: SI Archives acc. 86-136, box 2
label: Record Last Modified
content: 28 Aug 2023
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Benin City, Edo State / Kingdom of Benin, Nigeria, Africa
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Edo
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 370312
label: USNM Number
content: E428171-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Sculpture
physicalDescription: label: Length - Object
content: 15 cm
label: Width - Object
content: 11 cm
label: Height - W/ Base
content: 21.5 cm