Head of a king
- Audio guide stop: 184
- Gallery: Room 25
- Made in: Ife
- Date: 14thC-15thC(early) (probably)
- Object type: sculpture
- Materials: brass
- Museum number: Af1939,34.1
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
This is a striking sculpture titled "The Ife Head," crafted by the Yoruba people in Ife, Nigeria, in the 14th or early 15th century. The head, made of brass using the lost wax method, stands in a naturalistic style with lifelike detail that showcases the exceptional metalworking skills of the time. You'll notice an elaborate headdress resembling a crown, with multiple layers of beads, rosettes, and tassels painted in red and black. The face has subtle facial features with incised patterns, and the neck shows carved lines like skin folds. This piece, discovered in 1938, may have been a symbol of authority, possibly representing a ruler of Ife. The region was a major cultural and economic center in West Africa, and works like this reflect the artistic heights of Yoruba heritage.
See it in person
Head of a king is on display in Room 25 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and type its audio guide stop number, 184, from the gallery label, or take a photo of it, to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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