This bronze sculpture depicts a queen,
decorated in the traditional
ornamentation of Ife
royalty, including a flanged crown,
beaded
necklaces and cuffs. Her body is
wrapped
around
the cup of the vessel while a
traditional Ife
throne is present at the foot of the
piece. In her
hand, she hold a small staff topped with
a
human head. Such staffs survive today
and are
well-known in the Yoruba/Ife oeuvre.
This
sculpture is based upon an example
dating from
the 12th-15th century housed in the
collection
of the National Commission for Museums
and
Monuments in Lagos, Nigeria.
- (CK.0096)
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