Weathered Striated Head, Ife Style

Serene, idealised portraits rendered with striking naturalism — fine facial striations, calm almond eyes and full lips — evoking the classical sculpture of ancient Ife.

Bronze has long been the language of power in West Africa. Cast by the lost-wax method — in which a model shaped in wax is encased in clay and replaced by molten metal — these works preserve with remarkable fidelity the faces, regalia and ceremonies of the courts that commissioned them.

The face is entirely covered with fine parallel striations that follow the contours of brow, cheeks and chin, while the smooth cranium is set off by a crisp line at the hairline.

Deep fissures, losses and a mottled green and earth-brown surface give this head a powerful archaeological character, where the passage of time becomes part of its beauty.