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Edo. <em>Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao)</em>, 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.111_overall_PS11.jpg)
Edo. Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao), 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.111_overall_PS11.jpg)
Edo. <em>Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao)</em>, 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.111_overall_PS11.jpg)

Edo. Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao), 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.111_overall_PS11.jpg)

Edo. <em>Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao)</em>, 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.111_overall_PS9.jpg)

Edo. Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao), 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.111_overall_PS9.jpg)

Edo. <em>Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao)</em>, 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.111_threequarter_right_PS11.jpg)

Edo. Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao), 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.111_threequarter_right_PS11.jpg)

Edo. <em>Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao)</em>, 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , CUR.39.111_overall.jpg)

Edo. Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao), 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , CUR.39.111_overall.jpg)

Edo. <em>Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao)</em>, 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.111_threequarter_PS9.jpg)

Edo. Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao), 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.111_threequarter_PS9.jpg)

Edo. <em>Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao)</em>, 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.111_detail1_PS9.jpg)

Edo. Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao), 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.111_detail1_PS9.jpg)

Edo. <em>Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao)</em>, 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.111_detail2_PS9.jpg)

Edo. Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao), 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.111_detail2_PS9.jpg)

Edo. <em>Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao)</em>, 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.111_bw.jpg)

Edo. Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao), 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.111_bw.jpg)

Edo. <em>Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao)</em>, 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.111_front_bw.jpg)

Edo. Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao), 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.111_front_bw.jpg)

Edo. <em>Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao)</em>, 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.39.111_print_front1_bw.jpg)

Edo. Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao), 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.39.111_print_front1_bw.jpg)

Edo. <em>Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao)</em>, 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.111_right_PS11.jpg)

Edo. Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao), 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.111_right_PS11.jpg)

Edo. <em>Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao)</em>, 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , CUR.39.111_back.jpg)

Edo. Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao), 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , CUR.39.111_back.jpg)

Edo. <em>Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao)</em>, 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , CUR.39.111_detail.jpg)

Edo. Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao), 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , CUR.39.111_detail.jpg)

Edo. <em>Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao)</em>, 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , CUR.39.111_interior.jpg)

Edo. Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao), 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , CUR.39.111_interior.jpg)

Edo. <em>Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao)</em>, 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.111_back_bw.jpg)

Edo. Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao), 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.111_back_bw.jpg)

Edo. <em>Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao)</em>, 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.39.111_print_back_bw.jpg)

Edo. Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao), 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.39.111_print_back_bw.jpg)

Edo. <em>Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao)</em>, 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.39.111_print_front2_bw.jpg)

Edo. Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao), 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.39.111_print_front2_bw.jpg)

Edo. <em>Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao)</em>, 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.111_back_PS11.jpg)

Edo. Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao), 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.111_back_PS11.jpg)

Edo. <em>Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao)</em>, 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , CUR.39.111_side_left.jpg)

Edo. Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao), 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , CUR.39.111_side_left.jpg)

Edo. <em>Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao)</em>, 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , CUR.39.111_side_right.jpg)

Edo. Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao), 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , CUR.39.111_side_right.jpg)

Edo. <em>Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao)</em>, 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.111_left_PS11.jpg)

Edo. Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao), 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.111_left_PS11.jpg)

Edo. <em>Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao)</em>, 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.111_threequarter_left_PS11.jpg)

Edo. Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao), 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.111_threequarter_left_PS11.jpg)

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Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao)

Arts of Africa

One of the first duties of a new Edo oba, or king, is to establish an altar to his father and commission artists to create objects to adorn it. The altar serves both as a tribute to the deceased oba and a point of contact with his spirit. This cast-brass head would have been placed on such an altar. Its red color and shiny surface make it both beautiful frightening, appropriate attributes for a powerful monarch. The high collar and beaded headpiece represent the coral-beaded costume worn by reigning obas.

CULTURE Edo
MEDIUM Copper alloy, iron
  • Place Made: Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria
    • DATES 18th century
    DIMENSIONS 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm)  (show scale)
    INSCRIPTIONS "AF./2060" in white on back of head; "39.111" in red on back of head
    COLLECTIONS Arts of Africa
    ACCESSION NUMBER 39.111
    CREDIT LINE Alfred W. Jenkins Fund
    PROVENANCE Until 1897, Benin Kingdom; 1897, taken from the Royal Palace during the British military raid and occupation of Benin City by an unidentified British agent; between 1897 and 1912, provenance not yet documented; by November 1912, acquired by William O. Oldman of London, United Kingdom; November 18, 1912, purchased from William O. Oldman by the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology, Philadelphia, PA; 1939, transferred from the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology to the Brooklyn Museum, by exchange.
    Provenance FAQ
    CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Metal base for ivory tusk in the form of a head. Tall cylinder, the bottom half a collar of simulated beads from shoulders to lower lips; headdress covered with netting design. Top is open to hold tusk.
    EXHIBITIONS
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
    CAPTION Edo. Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao), 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.111_overall_PS11.jpg)
    IMAGE overall, 39.111_overall_PS11.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2021
    "CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
    You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
    RECORD COMPLETENESS
    Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.
    Edo. <em>Commemorative Head of an Ọba (Uhunmwu Elao)</em>, 18th century. Copper alloy, iron, 11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.5 × 20 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Alfred W. Jenkins Fund, 39.111. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 39.111_overall_PS11.jpg)

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    king

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    king

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