figure

There are about half a dozen early style heads dating from before c. 1550 like this one which are characterised by their life-like appearance and the thinness of the metal.. This head is believed to have been made in the same workshop as another sixteenth century head in the collections of the National Museum, Lagos. They were both made by members of the royal guild of brasscasters in Benin City, southern Nigeria. Representations of the queen mother often show her with a high peaked hairstyle. This was described as a