Head of Oba at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich

Each new king (Oba) of the Nigerian kingdom of Benin commemorated his father with a portrait cast in brass, made by professional craftsmen of the brass fraternity. This head is thought to have been made for the funeral of the warrior king Ozolua, performed by his son Esigye in 1505, or at the funeral of Esigye himself in 1551. Despite being a depiction of an individual this type of commemorative portrait is a highly stylised. The beaded headdress and collar represent the Oba's coral regalia. The coral would have come from Mediterranean and was a symbol of great wealth and status. This object is part of Scan The World. Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email [e-mail] to find out how you can help.尼日利亚贝宁王国的每位新任君主（奥巴，Oba），都会委托黄铜行会的专业工匠铸造一尊黄铜肖像，以纪念其父。这件头像被认为是为武士国王奥佐卢阿（Ozolua）的葬礼所制，由其子埃西吉耶（Esigye）于1505年主持举办；亦或是为埃西吉耶本人1551年的葬礼所造。尽管这类纪念肖像以个体为描绘对象，但整体具有高度程式化的艺术特征。其上的串珠头饰与颈饰，对应奥巴的珊瑚王权礼器。这些珊瑚产自地中海地区，是极高财富与尊贵地位的象征。本藏品隶属于"Scan The World"项目。该项目由MyMiniFactory发起，属于非营利性公益计划，旨在搭建覆盖全球的可免费3D打印雕塑、艺术品与地标建筑数字档案库，供公众免费获取。"Scan The World"是一项开源的社区共建项目，若您身边拥有值得分享的藏品并希望参与贡献，可发送邮件至[e-mail]了解参与方式。