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Commemorative Head of a Chief (uhunmwun-elao)

Commemorative Head of a Chief (uhunmwun-elao)

Unknown

This commemorative head, or uhunmwun-elao, was carved from wood by an Edo craftsman in the Kingdom of Benin, located in the southwest part of present-day Nigeria. The head was carved in a cylindrical shape and overlaid with thin brass sheets. The figure wears Edo noble attire: a beaded crown with a feather adorning one side and a beaded collar. Scarification marks are seen around the figure’s eyes. Because the head is not made entirely of cast bronze or brass, it likely does not represent the king (called the Oba), but rather a chief. Commemorative heads like this one would have been placed on altars in Benin City, the kingdom’s capitol. In 1897, an army of men under the leadership of a British Vice Admiral attacked and looted Benin City; today, there is much debate about whether such objects belong in Western institutions. The Chazen continues to investigate the provenance of this particular object.
Artist
Unknown (Nigerian, Edo People)
Title
Commemorative Head of a Chief (uhunmwun-elao)
Date
early 20th century
Medium
Wood, brass, and coconut shell inlay
Dimensions
25 5/8 x 11 x 9 3/4 in. overall
Credit
J. David and Laura Seefried Horsfall Endowment Fund purchase
Accession No.
2004.86
Classification
Sculpture
Geography
Nigeria

Related

by 1973, in the collection of "R. S." (Berlin, Germany) [1]; by 1997, when included in a catalogue of the Bareiss Family Collection, in the ownership of Walter and Molly Bareiss (Greenwich, CT) (inv. #346); 11 November 2004, sold by Walter and Molly Bareiss via Sotheby''s New York "African, Oceanic and Pre-Columbian Art" auction [sale #8029, lot 72] to Elvehjem Museum of Art [now called Chazen Museum of Art]. [1] As published in Schaedler''s "African Art in Private German Collections." [Last researched by Chazen staff 20 August 2021];

  • Roy, Christopher D. "Kilengi: African Art from the Bareiss Family Collection." Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1997. pp. 45, 301, 406, no. 199
  • Sotheby's, New York. "African, Oceanic, and Pre-Columbian Art," Nov. 11, 2004. lot 72
  • Chazen Museum of Art. "Bulletin 2003-2007." Madison: Chazen Museum of Art, 2010. p. 55
  • Schadler, Karl-Ferdinand. "African Art in Private German Collections." Munich: Munchner Buchgewebehaus, 1973. no. 279
  • Rarey, Matthew Francis and Henry John Drewal. "Never at Rest: African Art at the University of Wisconsin." African Arts, vol 53, no. 4 (2020): 68-85. fig. 6
  • Chazen Museum of Art. "re:mancipation." Madison, WI: Chazen Museum of Art, 2024. pp. 71, 92

  • re:mancipation: Chazen Museum of Art, 2/6/2023–6/25/2023
  • Perspectives: African Art from the Bareiss Family Collection: Elvehjem Museum of Art, 4/16/2004–5/15/2005
  • Kilengi: African Art from the Bareiss Family Collection: Kestner Gesellschaft, 1/1/1997–1/10/2000

The Chazen Museum of Art welcomes comments or inquiries about works in our collection. Please allow two–three weeks for a response. Chazen staff is not able to provide valuations or authentications and such inquiries cannot be answered.

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